Darkest Savior
by TrunksIzayaBossKadoDRRRotaku
Summary: Euphemia has met successfully with Zero, and there is no massacre. Zero has agreed to help, but he is also bargaining with her. He is bargaining not over a thing, but a person. That person...is Lelouch. Will he survive being thrust back into the very place he strove to get away from in the first place? LelouchXEuphie. Title changed cos it sucked.
1. Chapter 1 Revenant

**Here's a new idea of mine. It's just a random plunny.**

**Chapter 1 Bargain**

"Will you help plain old Euphie?" Euphemia asked.

"You're the worst foe I've ever faced. You win," Lelouch said, shaking her hand.

"Did you really think I'd shoot you?" Euphie asked, laughing at her brother's stupidity. Did he actually think she would ever do anything like that?

"If I told you to...never mind. I'll tell you later," He decided to say, dropping the subject.

What if his geass _did _go out of control?

What if Euphie got hurt?

"How are you going to do this as Zero, Lelouch? People definitely won't trust a terrorist, no matter what I say." Euphemia asked, trying to figure out what to do.

"Indeed. They will not trust a terrorist. But, there _is_ someone they will trust.." Lelouch said, trailing off, his hands on his chin in thought.

"Lelouch, we have to go soon. They're expecting us." Euphie said, biting her nails a bit. "They won't like it if we delay this any longer."

And then, it hit him. _I've figured out the perfect way to do this. Though, it might be a bit harder after this..._

"Lelouch?" Euphemia asked.

"There is something I must discuss with you. You see, I won't go as Zero, but rather..."

Euphemia listened to his idea, and nodded. "Okay!" Though inwardly, she was deeply conflicted by the entire idea. Was Lelouch really willing to go through with such a desperate act in the first place?

* * *

Outside, the atmosphere was quite tense. Every Japanese member of the audience wondered two things. The first thing was, would Princess Euphemia really keep her word? Would she really prevent discrimination against them? Could this all just be a ploy, to kill them?

The second thing they were wondering was whether or not Zero was really going to help the Princess. What if he just killed her? He might've already done it, but they would've heard the gun go off if he had...unless he had a silencer on.

"What is taking Princess Euphemia so long?" Darlton said, pacing back and forth.

The crowd was tense with excitement and tension; some were gossiping about Zero's intentions for the zone, others were wondering whether this was all a trap.

Then, they all heard light footsteps coming out of the inside of the stadium, and Euphemia came up to the stage. Much to their relief, she _wasn't _holding a gun like most Britannian royalty would have. The Viceroy would have easily rounded them all up in here and killed them like animals. But the Sub-Viceroy seemed to be different, somehow. Maybe she was holding true to her promise.

"Attention, all Japanese! My meeting with Zero went well, and he has agreed to help us. But, he has also bargained with me. In exchange for giving us our name back, he is going to give Britannia something in return," Euphemia said, earning a confused reaction from the audience.

As if to clear up their suspicions, the latter strode out on the stage, and started to speak. "Thank you. Princess Euphemia is truly an admirable woman. I have given her family someone in exchange," Zero announced.

Then, _Lelouch_ stepped out on the stage from behind Zero, and stood beside his half-sister. Everyone in the audience was curious about this mystery person who had just shown up. Who was he and exactly why was he so important, anyway?

"Who is that boy? Is he your boyfriend?" A Japanese man shouted, getting up to see better.

This caused the audience to burst out laughing, but Euphie and Lelouch just looked embarrassed.

"No, I'm not her boyfriend. It may have been a long time, but I am the same prince who came to your country eight years ago, Lelouch vi Britannia!" Lelouch declared, getting a startled silence from everyone except Euphie, who stared at him with a worried look on his face.

_Lelouch, are you really willing to go through with this? _

"H-How did you survive, Your Highness?" Darlton asked, unable to believe who he was seeing.

"Simple. Up until now, Zero has held me prisoner. My sister Euphemia was able to guarantee me a safe rescue," Lelouch said, lying.

"A prince was being held captive by Zero? Cowardly terrorist!" A woman shouted, throwing her cane at Zero, who dodged.

* * *

Suzaku's eyes widened upon seeing his best friend beside his sister. Not only did it seem she knew he was alive, but he was up on the stage speaking in front of an audience! What the heck was his friend thinking? Was he really that foolish that he would rather give up his anonymity for no reason?

_What does he think he's doing? I've got to stop him! _

Suzaku raced toward the stage, but was stopped by two guards.

"Let me through! I'm Princess Euph-UGH!"

At that moment, Suzaku was hit over the head by one of the guard's spears, which knocked him out.

"Filthy Eleven. I swear, this whole idea is a big mistake. Why did Viceroy Cornelia even allow her foolish sister to go through with this, anyway?" One remarked to the other, who shook his head in disbelief.

"This whole shenanigan is nothing but applesauce. I can't believe this kind of heresy would be allowed by Prince Schneizel." Another sighed. "There's nothing we can do. We just have to accept it."

Darlton thought it was impossible at first that Lelouch vi Britannia could even be alive. But that young man standing up at the podium, speaking, was undoubtedly him. This was history in the making, and that meant Darlton _had_ to inform the Viceroy.

"Her Highness needs to hear this!" He cried in his head, and ran off to contact Cornelia.

It took a bit of his effort, but Cornelia's image appeared over the screen.

"Yes, Darlton? Is it about Euphemia?" She said, looking very impatient.

"Your Highness, Euphemia has bargained with Zero! The two of them are working together. But there's-" Darlton began, but was cut off by Cornelia.

"Zero? You mean to tell me that my sister is with a terrorist? I'm coming there immediately!" Cornelia cried, getting up.

"W-Wait, your high-" Darlton said, but he was too late. The connection was over.

_"How am I going to tell her about the Eleventh Prince now?"_ He thought.

* * *

"I am going to help my half-sister with the SAZ." Lelouch summed up, getting a wild round of applause from the audience. Now he had managed to win them over. At least for a while, which was good in the meantime.

After the whole thing was over, Suzaku spotted Lelouch and raced over to the two of them.

"LELOUCH, WHAT ARE YOU THINKING!" Suzaku cried, before he grabbed Lelouch by the lapels, looking like he wanted to strangle him here and now.

"Calm down, Suzaku. I'm doing this because I have to, for Nunnally." Lelouch replied.

"B-But, Zero didn't-did he?" Suzaku said, staring up at him in disbelief.

"Indeed, Suzaku. He forced me to join him, before I met you again."

"Then, that's why you were-" Suzaku started, but was cut off again.

"Yes, Suzaku, now do you want Euphie to know about this?" Lelouch hissed into his ear.

Suzaku flinched. "I'd rather not..."

* * *

Euphie was going to reply when suddenly a Knightmare came charging down the road. It stopped as soon as it saw the three of them.

Cornelia jumped out. "Euphemia, what are you thinking?"

"Sister, I had to." Euphie said, smiling.

She looked about ready to throw a fit when her eyes fell on Suzaku. "So, I suppose even though you are her knight, you still can't stop that rage that's natural, you filthy eleven."

She then grabbed Suzaku by the lapel.

"It was a bargain, Cornelia. You don't have to blame him." Lelouch interjected, causing Cornelia to release her death grip on Suzaku, and whirl around to look at him.

Instantly, her face turned pale. Her eyes widened in disbelief, and she stepped back. "N-N-No. He's dead...Y-Y-You can't be..."

"It's been too long, Sister," Lelouch said, smiling.

"L-L-Lelouch? You're alive?" Cornelia stuttered in total shock. She touched him.

"Yes, sister. He's the real thing." Euphemia interjected.

"You're alive. This is wonderful, but what about..." Cornelia said, about ready to burst into tears of happiness.

"Nunnally? She's alive, too. She's also fine." Lelouch answered, causing Cornelia to squeeze him hard.

"Lelouch..." Cornelia mumbled, hugging him.

She backed away from him for a second. "Are you..."

"I'm not..."

"I should have known..." She continued, a frown on her face.

'I am not Zero, if that's what you're thinking." He said calmly, causing everyone but Euphie to stare at him.

"Of course you're not. Are you anorexic? Or bulimic? I hope you eat enough, because you're like a walking stick..." Cornelia muttered, causing Lelouch to sweatdrop.

**A/N:Whew, first chappie is done. This will be an AU. Suzaku's lucky he's even in this. Yes, he's very lucky...**

**R&R.**


	2. Chapter 2 Cornelia

20 alerts and 10 favorites! Keep it up, people! And only 3 reviews...

Well, here's the next chapter.

I do not own Code Geass, or its characters. Those belong to Sunrise. These chapters are being edited due to poor quality-my writing now is better than three years ago. So I want to improve it a bit. ^^

Chapter 2 Decisions

* * *

"Why would you say you were Zero, Lelouch?" Suzaku asked, staring at him in disbelief. His friend was the last person he would ever suspect of being Zero.

Lelouch said dismissively, "Oh, it was just a joke." He seriously hoped that Suzaku wouldn't take it literally.

"Don't get familiar with a prince, Kururugi. You're a lowly Eleven," Cornelia scolded.

"It's all right, Sister. I've known Suzaku for a long time now. We were friends when I came to Japan with Nunnally seven years ago," Lelouch said, trying to reassure her. He knew how overprotective Cornelia could be, and he didn't wish to make her more angry than she already was.

Her features softened. Then, her eyes narrowed, as if she had just forgotten about something important.

"Speaking of Zero, where is? I want to get my hands on him and exact revenge for killing my brother!" She growled, causing Lelouch to cringe.

Lelouch cast a glance at Euphemia, who stared at him with a look that clearly said: _Don't tell her._ There was no way he would tell his dear half-sister, not if he wanted to still be alive and kicking.

"Lelouch told me Zero has been holding him hostage for the past seven years." Suzaku stated.

Cornelia gasped. "That's horrible! Well, you don't have to worry, Lelouch. You're here with us now," She reassured. "I personally will make sure that he will regret everything that he has done to you."

"Sister, shouldn't you contact Gilford?" Euphemia suggested.

"Oh, yes. I will." Cornelia uttered, taking out her intercom.

* * *

Euphie then came over to Lelouch.

"What are you going to do now?" she whispered, being careful not to draw attention from her knight or Cornelia.

"My subordinate is impersonating my alter ego for the time being. I'll contact her later." Lelouch replied.

"So, are you still going to destroy Britannia?" Euphemia whispered.

"I'm not quite sure yet." He said softly.

* * *

"My lady, is Euphemia all right?" Gilford asked worriedly.

"Yes, she's right here. She bargained with Zero, the filthy terrorist. But, at least we got Lelouch back." Cornelia informed Gilford. She frowned at the silence she got in response.

"Who is this Lelouch you speak of, my lady?" Gilford questioned politely, though with an undertone of confusion.

"Who else do you _know_ who has the name _Lelouch_?" Cornelia pressed, amazed at her guard's bad memory. Seriously, Lelouch was such an unusual name that it was bound to be memorable. Then again, the Emperor was quite fond of unusual names. Euphemia, Cornelia, Carline, Cassius, Schneizel, Clovis, Lelouch...etc. All were names that you would not normally name your child.

Gilford wracked through his brain for a few moments and then he said, "Lady Marianne's son, Lelouch vi Britannia? He's dead."

"I thought he was, too. But, he's right here with me. He's alive. Now, Gilford, I would like it if you were to come down here as soon as possible to pick up the four of us."

"Yes, my lady," Gilford said.

* * *

"So, Zero, what's the reason you bargained with a Britannian princess?" Kallen inquired.

The masked man pulled off his mask to reveal C.C. underneath.

"C.C.? You're Zero?" Kallen said sarcastically. "Gee, I thought you were a man."

"Of course not. Zero is out right now. He'll be back soon." She stated tonelessly, letting her long green hair fall down to her waist as she sat up.

"Is he someone I know?" She inquired, remembering what a certain someone had told her on Kamine Island about a certain classmate of his. Who could he possibly be, though? Was it possibly someone she knew at school? Nah, Zero had to be older than a teenager.

"Maybe." C.C. replied vaguely.

"Maybe? What kind of reply is that? That's not even an answer!" Kallen shouted.

"I wonder what's on the news," C.C. said, completely ignoring her little outburst, and reached for the remote.

"And the latest news on Princess Euphemia is that she has made a deal with the terrorist Zero to work with the Special Administrative Zone of Japan. In exchange, he has released the previously thought dead Eleventh Prince, Lelouch vi Britannia." A reporter stated.

Kallen stared at the TV in shock. "L-Lelouch? He's a prince?"

"Yes." C.C. replied dully, reaching for a piece of pizza.

"Then, why is the TV saying that we kept him? We never did." Kallen protested.

"That's just part of _his _scheme. He is truly clever, indeed." C.C. remarked, looking at Lelouch speaking on the screen.

_"Scheme? Who is he really? Zero said he's not Japanese...is he Britannian?" _Kallen thought to herself.

**My boy is so clever.**

"You think so? I thought you purposely sent Kallen with Lelouch." C.C. said to herself.

_Yes, I did. But I never expected Euphemia would turn up and discover he was alive. I get the feeling V.V. has something to do with this._

"He was always jealous of you and Charles." C.C. said.

**Maybe V.V. wanted to hurt my boy.**

"Concerned? You've never cared about Lelouch."

**True. But, Charles blinded Nunnally and we sent them over here so they could be safe.**

"If you say so..." C.C. said, trailing off.

(A/N:I want to make a point here. People say Lelouch "lost control" over his Geass. That's stupid. Remember, the person who sent them over to Kamine was V.V. Obviously, V.V. intended Euphemia to find out that Lelouch was alive. He then manipulated Lelouch's geass to hurt Euphemia, and wanted to make her die, and turn everyone Lelouch believes in against him. I have evidence for this. Charles was laughing hysterically when Euphemia was geassed. Why else would he be laughing, unless his brother did it on purpose. Okay, this theory of mine was stupid. Now I think it was too convenient. Well, what better way to turn Suzaku against Lelouch than kill Euphemia?)

* * *

Gilford came to pick them up. When he got out, he stared at Lelouch in disbelief.

"Yes, I'm alive." Lelouch muttered, annoyed at how he was being treated like a freak show.

He sat in the back of the vehicle with both Suzaku and Euphemia on either side of him. Euphie had her fingers wrapped around his. He turned a little red. He hoped that Suzaku didn't notice.

Suzaku stared at the two of them. _Lelouch, what do you plan to do now? What about Nunnally?_

He glanced over at Euphie, who smiled warmly at him.

Cornelia glanced back at Lelouch. "Euphemia, when did you discover Lelouch was alive?" She questioned.

The pinkette winced a little. She didn't like to lie, but she decided to make it a half-lie. "I met him on Kamine Island. Zero had intended to keep him there."

"I see. I should probably take you home, Euphemia. Kururugi, I suggest you accompany my brother home. I'll see Nunnally tomorrow." Cornelia stated, turning back to Gilford again.

_Cornelia, you were quite shocked when you saw me. I can't wait to see the look on that man's face when I destroy everything he holds dear._

Lelouch smirked.

Suzaku was gazing out the window, and didn't notice, but Euphemia did.

_Lelouch, you've changed so much. You're so cold and calculating, you're a lot like Brother Schneizel. That look on your face now reminded me of our father. You're really going to destroy your own country. You're scaring me. But, I hope you can help me with this idea for peace, and set aside this "Zero" persona._

As if reading her mind, Lelouch smiled a gentle smile at her. "Don't worry, Euphie. I promise I won't hurt you." _However, I will hurt that man. _

A/N:End of chappie


	3. Chapter 3 Royals

A/N: Thank you for the support!

Chapter 3 Negotiations

"Lelouch and Nunnally vi Britannia have both been discovered...alive." Schneizel declared.

"Is it really true, Schneizel?" Odysseus asked, disbelief written on his face.

The other occupants at the table all bore similar expressions, but the way they had all reacted to the news was different.

Cassius dropped the chalice he'd been drinking out of, and it had fallen on the floor and shattered, spilling all the liquid out of it.

Carline spat out her food, "Don't joke around, brother. They're dead." She said in disgust.

Guinevere nodded as well. "Yes, brother."

One of the servants, who was an Honorary Britannian, rushed over and started cleaning up the mess that Cassius had made.

"You aren't doing it fast enough, you damn Eleven! I didn't hire you to be useless!" Cassius bellowed, causing the servant to cower at his rage.

Schneizel seemed unperturbed by the interruption, and he continued. "Cornelia told me. They've been found..._alive."_

At this, Carline's jaw dropped. "Don't tell me that...that little sissy is coming here!" She howled, making a deprecatory reference to Nunnally.

Odysseus scowled at her. "Carline, they are our siblings."

The poor Honorary Britannian cleaned up the mess, then quietly slipped out of the room, eager to get away from the abuse he had just endured.

Cassius, who had once again put on the mask of a calm prince, said, "Those commoners are alive? How do we know our sister isn't mistaken?"

"Ah. I expected you would all be skeptical. Perhaps, _she _ can convince you." Schneizel said, motioning them to glance at the door, which opened to reveal Euphemia.

Upon seeing her siblings, Euphemia smiled. "Hello, brother! Thank you so much for endorsing my plan! It has gone wonderfully!" She cried.

Carline scoffed. "What's got you so happy, airhead? Did your Eleven knight finally croak or something?"

Euphie frowned. "No, sister. Suzaku is very much alive. It is as Schneizel told you. I met Lelouch, and Nunnally too!" She exclaimed.

"It will be so great to see them." Castor muttered sarcastically.

Euphie smiled. "Yes, it will be." She uttered, not catching his meaning.

"So, are they coming back here?" Odysseus asked, delighted as always.

"It depends on what Lelouch wants, brother. But, ultimately I think Father will decide." Euphie explained.

Euphemia glanced around briefly, her pink locks falling in her face as she did so.

"Where is sister?" She asked.

"I think she is with His Majesty right now." Carline stated.

Cornelia entered the hall that led to the emperor's throne, where the aforementioned man sat, like a hawk watching his prey.

"Your majesty, I have returned." Cornelia said, bowing.

Charles stared at her. "And what of Euphemia's foolish plan?" He growled deeply.

Cornelia's eyes widened. "H-H-How did you know?"

"I have my ways, Cornelia. Now, tell me. What happened?" Charles bellowed.

"It went over well. What's more important is that Lelouch vi Britannia and Nunnally vi Britannia are alive, your majesty." Cornelia said.

The emperor started to laugh loudly. "They are strong, aren't they? Tell my son I wish to see him...alone. I will inform you of what I decide to do with him. You may go now, Cornelia." He barked.

Cornelia bowed, and as she was walking out, the Emperor said something else.

"Oh, and Cornelia...if your sister does anything fatuous like that again, you will pay the consequences...or _she _will. Is that understood?" Charles whispered dangerously.

Cornelia's eyes narrowed in anger. "Yes, your majesty. I understand." She said, keeping her voice steady.

The second the door closed, Charles turned to a small figure. "It will be interesting to see how useful you have become, Lelouch."

"It appears my plan failed, Brother." V.V. remarked.

"I know, I was originally planning on getting rid of Euphemia, anyway. She is useless for politics, but she is useful for keeping Cornelia...and possibly Lelouch in line." Charles said, more to himself.

Lelouch stared out his window, inwardly cursing himself and Euphemia.

_It's my fault. I wanted to do it this way, but I'll have to walk on even thinner ice than before. I can't abandon the Black Knights, but I can't give up my position with Euphie, either. I'll just have to figure out a way to make this plan work Zero's way. _

He could hear Nunnally sleeping peacefully, unaware of her safety being shattered.

"Lelouch, this isn't what you planned, is it?" C.C. inquired.

He sighed. "No, it wasn't."

"But, you would never hurt her, would you?" C.C. asked, referring to a certain pinkette.

"Of course not."

"Then, haven't you dug yourself into a hole, Lelouch? You certainly won't be able to do things the way you do them now." She remarked.

"I know. It's only more troubling now, because I don't know whether Euphie is on my side in this or not. I haven't used geass on her yet. I could always geass her into being loyal to me." He mused.

"That would be too obvious, Lelouch. I think you should try to use allies, like Kallen." C.C. stated, startling Lelouch.

"K-Kallen? She doesn't have any say in this!" Lelouch yelped.

"She does now. She knows you're a prince, but she is still unaware of your connection to her." C.C. pointed out.

_Euphie, you are either a big help or a big hindrance. What will I do with you?_

The next day, when Lelouch got up, he was startled to see Nunnally sitting at the table with Cornelia.

She looked up at him. "Good morning, Lelouch. It is great to have you back. I informed His Majesty of you, and-"

Lelouch tightened his fist. "Cornelia, I don't want to go back."

Cornelia stared at him. "Lelouch...please."

"No. I do not want to see that man anymore." Lelouch said coldly.

"He has requested an audience with you, Lelouch. You have to go." Cornelia informed him.

"Fine." Lelouch said.

Nunnally said, "Lelouch, you didn't tell me this."

"I'm sorry. I forgot to, Nunnally." Lelouch said sweetly.

When Lelouch entered the palace, he saw the man who had abandoned him, sitting on his throne, watching him.

It was all too familiar of eight years ago...

As he approached, the emperor looked at him. "It is good to see you again, my son." He said coldly.

Lelouch bowed slightly, even though he felt more like taking a gun and shooting that man right in the heart.

"I wanted to know...how is C.C.? Is she well?" Charles whispered, causing Lelouch to flinch.

"You-how the hell did you?"

"You think I'm stupid, boy? I've known you were alive this whole time! I know you have geass, and I know your other secret. You don't want your siblings to know, do you? That you are Zero?" Charles said minaciously, causing Lelouch to gnash his teeth.

"You...bastard." Lelouch hissed.

"Boy, you _will _come back. Or else, everyone in your family will know your secret, and Nunnally will die. Maybe I'll even kill Euphie, too." Charles boomed.

Lelouch got down on his knees. "Forgive me, your majesty. I will return."

"Very good. You are dismissed." Charles said, waving a hand at him.

**A/N: I hate the Emperor. I feel like taking Rena's hatchet and...Well, if he dies, it wasn't me! (Evil laughter.)**

**Kidding. Thanks for all the alerts and favorites, and I look forward to seeing more!**


	4. Chapter 4 Preparations

**Hey, everyone. This chapter will mainly be about everyone Lelouch knows thinking about how they feel upon seeing him with Euphemia, a princess.**

Chapter 4 Knights

_Why?_

Tohdoh thought, replaying the scene in his head, of Lelouch going to see Princess Euphemia.

_I thought you hated Britannia. Don't you realize that the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan is probably another trap by Britannia? Or, is this really what Japan has waited for? Is that why you bargained with her? _

That had caught his attention. A place where Japanese could have their rights as citizens would be what the Black Knights strived for, right? And Princess Euphemia didn't seem like the kind of person who would lie about such things.

That was why he was startled when Zero ordered them all to wait for him in their Knightmares while he talked to Euphemia. Then, he remembered the other thing that had startled him.

When he recalled just who had come onto the screen after Zero finished speaking, he recalled feeling astonished. It was a face he thought he'd never see again; a memory that dwelled in the past. The last time he'd seen him was when his young disciple, Suzaku Kururugi told him all about his new friend, Lelouch vi Britannia.

Tohdoh then remembered the prince telling the excited audience how he had been imprisoned by Zero for seven years. _So, Zero, you were really keeping a prince under our noses all this time..._

_But Zero isn't Japanese. If that's so, he must be Britannian. But, who would defy the Empire? Who would hate it so much that they would vow to destroy it?_

_**Flashback: Japan, 7 years ago **_

_**"Aww, you won again, Lelouch!" A ten-year old boy with brown hair and emerald eyes complained, pounding his fist on the ground in disbelief. **_

_**The Britannian boy beside him smirked. "I'm better at thinking then you are. Besides, my family is better at playing chess. Because we are royalty." Lelouch stated, sarcastically. **_

_**Suzaku stared at him. "Lelouch?" **_

_**"Of course, that man believes that rubbish. The weak are not to be crushed by the strong." Lelouch muttered, but Suzaku heard what he said. **_

_**Tohdoh had overheard as well, because he was assigned to watch them and assassinate the Prince under Suzaku's father's command. He was surprised that a prince of the Empire would say such things. **_

_Come to think of it, Zero says the same thing! So, Zero is...Lelouch?_

He supposed it was just a guess, but he had remembered Suzaku telling him that Lelouch was very precocious in intelligence. So he wouldn't be surprised if he was Zero.

_If you are Zero, what are your true intentions, Lelouch vi Britannia? Why rejoin Britannia?_

To say the members of the Student Council weren't shocked was an understatement. Blown away would be more fitting.

Milly had already known his little secret, so she wasn't really shocked. The only thing that really shocked her was _why. _Why would he reveal his identity when she knew he would never want to return to his homeland? He might not have had a say in the matter.

Shirley was startled at the revelation that the boy she admired was a prince. She knew she was out of his league, but she wasn't going to give up on him. Even with all the daughters of nobility who would probably try to steal her Lulu away, she would not give up.

Rivalz was left at a loss for words, when he had seen the news. He'd seen Zero go inside, but upon seeing _Lelouch _step out and say he was a _prince _of Britannia was too alarming. He had keeled over from the shock.

He then realized just how little he really knew about Lelouch. As a person, he'd been lying about his family history, and his past. But, with a family like Lelouch's, he supposed he could see some sense in that.

Nina was startled, too. She never even knew that there was another royal in the same room as she was...no make that two. If Lelouch was royalty, then Nunnally was, too. **They know Euphemia. Maybe I can meet Euphemia again. **

Meanwhile, Euphemia was looking herself over in the mirror. _Today is the day that Lelouch and Nunnally return home! _

Inside, she knew she was giving up a few things dear to her and Lelouch, but this was what Nunnally wanted.

She came flouncing downstairs, and fell right into her sister's startled arms. "Sister, when did you get here?"

"Euphemia, I arrived a while ago. I'm so glad you brought them back. I've missed them terribly." Cornelia admitted.

"You don't need to blame yourself anymore, sister. Lelouch and Nunnally are alive, and as long as they are, Lady Marianne is, in a way." Euphemia said in that kind, soothing way of hers.

"All right. Let's go pick up Lelouch." Cornelia stated.

When Lelouch got up that morning, he was greeted by Suzaku, who informed him of his sister's imminent arrival.

Many students stared open-mouthed at the fact that the Viceroy and Subviceroy had just set foot on Ashford Academy.

When Cornelia saw Lelouch, she engulfed Lelouch in a caress, then her eyes fell on Nunnally, who had just woken up.

"Nunnally?" Cornelia asked.

She tilted her head. "Sister?"

Cornelia and Nunnally reunited briefly while Euphemia gave Lelouch a set of new clothes that he would be wearing.

He stared at them in distaste. The things he had tried to avoid came back.

"Lelouch? Are you okay?" Euphemia asked, concern evident in her purple eyes.

"It's nothing. I'm happy to be with you." Lelouch said, holding her hand.

Euphemia blushed.

The trip to the palace was quite dreary. Lelouch's stomach kept churning as he thought about having to face his siblings again.

He definitely knew Odysseus would be thrilled to see him again, but then again, Odysseus was so stupid, he redefined the word. He could easily geass him, it wouldn't be hard.

Then, there was Guinevere, who really didn't give a flying donut about him, and he could say the same for Carline and Cassius, who loathed him from the depths of their hearts. He wished he could've seen the look on their faces when they were told the news. He could barely wait to wipe the smirk off of Cassius's face.

Castor and Pollux both hated him, too. The only one who liked him, aside from Euphemia, Cornelia, Odysseus, and a late Clovis, was Schneizel. But, truth be told, he didn't know how he was going to deal with Schneizel, his greatest foe. He probably still couldn't defeat him at chess, so he was going to have to keep an eye on Schneizel.

When they finally got there, Lelouch prepared himself for the entire thing. His heart raced, but he kept his poker face on, so as to show no sign at all that he was stressed.

As he got out, the first person he saw was...Schneizel.

Schneizel smiled cordially. "Welcome back, Lelouch."


	5. Chapter 5 Long time no see

**A/N:Hi, people!**

Chapter 5 Long time no see

When Lelouch saw Schneizel, he froze for a complete second. Schneizel was one of his worst enemies. He was one of the only people he could never beat at chess, and that said something.

No, now he had to focus on keeping himself calm and composed. Now that he knew his father knew all of his secrets, he'd have to work twice as hard to keep his true identity hidden. He then wondered how his father knew; perhaps his father had a spy at Ashford Academy.

He plastered a smile on his face. "Hello, brother. It's good to actually see you in person." He said.

Schneizel gave him a nonchalant smile as always, then he spoke: "Yes, my dear brother. I'm so glad Euphemia found you. I look forward to see how much you've improved in chess."

Lelouch smirked. "Well, Clovis was never that good at it, was he?"

"Of course. You, Lelouch are a chess prodigy. He, however, didn't put too much thought into his moves." Schneizel replied.

As he fell into a light conversation with Schneizel, he passed by Euphemia, who smiled at him.

Euphemia was pleased. For the most part, Lelouch seemed okay. But, during their conversation, she became afraid of him. He had suddenly clutched his eye in pain and when she tried to help him, he had pushed her away and acted like he was a totally different person. He talked about staining her hands with blood. A few moments later, he was back to normal. It reminded her even more of their father, and she shivered slightly.

Some of his siblings were not happy to see him.

Carline and Cassius were both glowering at him. "So, it seems the commoner is back again, huh?" Cassius jeered.

Carline snickered.

He ignored them. He resisted the urge to geass him. He couldn't do it now, not in front of all these people.

"It's good to have you back, Lelouch." Odysseus said.

"I can't believe you lived with Elevens for seven years. I can't imagine living with such filth." Guinevere said sympathetically.

"Suzaku isn't filthy, sister!" Euphie said.

"I hate that disgusting eleven. Why'd you choose him, anyway? He's ugly and filthy." Carline snapped.

Euphemia's fists tightened, but Lelouch stopped her.

"Don't insult Euphie's knight in front of me." He said coldly.

"Why shouldn't I?" Carline snapped back.

"Because Suzaku is one of my best friends, and I will not tolerate you insulting him. Is that clear?" Lelouch said firmly.

He fixed such a steely glare on her that she jumped back.

"Fine." She huffed.

"The commoner likes associating with others like himself, huh?" Cassius remarked.

"Lelouch, it must have been so hard for you, being held captive by Zero." Odysseus said, trying to change the subject.

"The commoner is a terrorist's pet. I'm not surprised, maybe that would explain why you sympathize with Elevens." Cassius jeered yet again.

"What are you insinuating, Cassius? And, are you insulting your brother?" Cornelia said fiercely.

"N-No."

_When will this family meeting end? It's more like a pack of vicious hounds tearing at each other. _

Unbeknownst to Lelouch, a certain man stood outside the palace doors, waiting for someone.

This man was Jeremiah Gottwald. He had only recieved the news about Prince Lelouch recently. _I can't believe it. _

_Flashback _

_He had been watching the SAZ broadcast and when Euphemia came running back out, he flicked the TV off. He wasn't really interested, and looked down at the ground. There really wasn't much hope left for him. Ever since the Purists were disbanded, any chance of him achieving honor for the Gottwalds had faded. _

_He'd remembered the first time he'd suffered such disgrace. He didn't want to think about it, how Lady Marianne, the one woman he admired so much, was assassinated. He remembered how he'd felt the day she was murdered. Devastated was the only word that came to his mind. _

_He vowed that he would protect Prince Lelouch and Nunnally. Then, Prince Lelouch did something unexpected. He confronted his father about his mother's death, and then he was rudely dismissed and exiled. _

_He'd always found that suspicious, but he didn't dare disagree with the Emperor. From the day they were declared dead, he was broken inside. Disgrace was something he could never stomach. _

_Once the Vi Britannia line was dead, he found his purpose in life gone. He just drifted from job to job in a trance. _

_Then, a knock on the door interrupted him. He opened it, and found Cornelia's Knight, Andreas Darlton, standing there, panting. _

_"Darlton, what is it that's troubling you?" Jeremiah asked. _

_"I must tell you something very urgent. I just came from the SAZ, and Euphemia, she..." He panted, then stopped. _

_"She...what? What happened?" Jeremiah asked, wondering why he would come see him._

_"Well, she met with Zero, and she came out and told everyone in the audience that Prince Lelouch is alive. She found out Zero was holding him hostage and negotiated with him, and Zero agreed to work with her. In return, he let Prince Lelouch vi Britannia go free. Prince Lelouch, he came out and started speaking to the crowd." Darlton said, rehashing things. _

_"What? Are you mad?" Jeremiah said in disbelief. How dare he make light of his disgrace. "You've got to be joking." _

_Darlton sighed. "If I were joking, I would've told you. But, I'm serious. Here, turn on the TV." He said, and turned the TV on to the news, where the focus was on the SAZ. _

_Princess Euphemia was there, talking for a bit, then a dark-haired young man came out with her. Once he started to speak, Jeremiah noticed he had amethyst eyes. _

_He stared, awestruck, as he studied the young man's features more, all doubts were cleared from his mind. Only two people he knew had that eye color. Lady Marianne, and Prince Lelouch. This young man was unmistakable. _

_"It's really...him? He's really alive! What about Princess Nunnally?" He said, his orange eyes lit with a fire he hadn't felt in years. _

_Darlton shook his head. "I don't know where she is, sir. Only Lelouch was on TV. I know about your former position. Her Highness wanted to send you notice, so that way you could possibly think about making amends." _

_"Will he remember me?" Jeremiah asked. _

_"I don't know." _

_"He was awfully young when I guarded his mother. But, where is he now?" Jeremiah insisted. _

_"He was found in Area 11. I heard he's going to see all his siblings in a few days." Darlton said. _

_End of flashback _

Jeremiah stood, unsure of what to expect. Which was quite natural, since how else would a person react upon seeing someone who they thought to be dead for some time turn up alive?

Soon, the members of the Royal Family came out. Odysseus U Britannia passed by him, and so did Guinevere su Britannia, who didn't give him a second glance. Cornelia li Britannia passed by him, but Schneizel was strangely absent. He wondered why.

Euphemia li Britannia passed him by, and greeted him. "Hello."

"Hello, your highness." Jeremiah said politely.

As she passed him by, Cassius and Carline le Britannia both came out next, both looking very enraged.

He turned away. Maybe his hopes were too high.

Just then, the door opened again and Jeremiah turned around in time to see Schneizel el Britannia in an active discussion with Prince Lelouch.

He gasped at seeing him.

Schneizel whispered something to Prince Lelouch, who then fixated his amethyst eyes on him.

Jeremiah could tell how much he had grown over the years, and could definitely see some signs of his father in him. But he bore a strong resemblance to her now.

"Your Highness, I'm so glad to see you! I thought you were dead!" Jeremiah said in joy.

Prince Lelouch cast a confused glance at him. "Who are you?"

"I'm Jeremiah Gottwald, your highness. A long time ago, I worked as your mother's guard in the Aries Villa. I regret that I never was able to protect your mother from her murder! All I ask for is your forgiveness!" Jeremiah said.

"I remember you now...vaguely. I've already forgiven you, and I'm sure once I tell Nunnally, she will, too." Prince Lelouch said thoughtfully.

"Princess Nunnally? Where is she?" Jeremiah asked.

"She's at a school in Area 11, where I intend for her to stay. What do you want from me?" He asked.

"I wish to serve you, your highness." Jeremiah said.

"I need time to think it over, Gottwald. I can't be too rash now, can I?" Lelouch said, slightly amused.


	6. Chapter 6 Waiting

**Sorry for the long wait! Masaki, thanks for your review! I can't wait to see your LuluEuphie fic update, too! I'll update mine as well!**

Chapter 6

Waiting

As Lelouch walked away from Jeremiah, he thought over the whole event in his mind. He didn't automatically trust Gottwald, not after what he had done to Suzaku. Even though Suzaku was a very naive person, he was still Lelouch's friend.

_Well, he's really only a friend to me when I'm not Zero. If he knew, I wonder what he would do... _

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and continued walking, until he happened to notice Euphemia coming towards him, a look of happiness on her face.

"Lelouch! I see you had a visitor. That was Jeremiah Gottwald, wasn't it?" She said, smiling as always.

"Yes. It was." Lelouch replied, smiling back.

Euphemia was just so innocent, but slightly less innocent than his own dear sister Nunnally. She was very dear to him, because she had not yet been exposed to the dangers and cruelty the world had, or she had but chose to endure it and persevere. He could only imagine how devastated she must've been after hearing of their faked deaths eight years ago...

As if reading his mind, Euphemia said, "Are you thinking about me? When I thought you two were dead, I was...sad. I always rebelled, and Sister always had to discipline me because I wouldn't listen to my tutors anymore. I just couldn't take being without you, Lelouch. To me, you were everything. If you think everyone hated you, well...I didn't. And I never will." She admitted.

Lelouch took that in for a few moments, then spoke. "I know you don't hate me. You care about me. Just like you do for Nunnally, Euphie. If I didn't like you, I would've never let you beat me at chess." He joked.

Euphie frowned. "You were just too smart, Lelouch. I could never beat you at that!" She said.

Lelouch blushed slightly. _She's so cute when she's angry. _ "I know, Euphie."

"Hey, Lelouch. Is it really your goal to destroy our country? Isn't there a better way?" Euphemia asked quietly.

"I wish there was a better way, Euphie, but that's just the harsh truth." Lelouch said softly. "But, thanks to you, I am one step closer." He said, clamming up.

"Let's go see how everyone is doing in the SAZ." Euphemia said, leading Lelouch out of the building.

When they reached the SAZ, a lot of Japanese were already setting up their belongings in the camps.

"Thank you, your highness! You've offered us peace and hope!" An old Japanese woman exclaimed.

"You're welcome." Euphemia said in delight.

Some more Japanese cheered for her. Lelouch felt a little bit of envy as he watched his sister.

_Isn't that supposed to be __me? __I'm supposed to be the savior of Japan! I'm Zero! _

"Why did Zero surrender?" A Japanese youth demanded.

"We both have the same goal in mind. The rebuilding of Japan. And so, for that purpose, that is why Zero, my brother, and I are all working together-to bring peace to Britannia and Japan!" She announced, not even noticing a few photographers filming them.

Carline and Cassius had both seen the news.

"I knew that sister of mine was in league with those dumb Elevens!" Carline growled, clenching her fists tightly. "How dare she betray us for those pathetic, disgusting Elevens!"

"If you must remember, our siblings have always been weak. Euphemia is naive and is a spoiled brat. Lelouch is a piece of commoner trash that somehow manages to fit into our community thanks to our father. If I were the Emperor, I would surely get rid of him for good." Cassius sneered.

The two of them looked at each other, malicious grins evident on her face.

"I'm not going to live in the same place as those nasty Elevens! I refuse!" Carline said.

"Maybe the nobles in the court can help us undo Euphemia's stupid plan. Maybe, just maybe, we can stir up a revolt among the Britannians. After all, many are only accepting this because of Euphemia. All it takes is a little push in the right direction, right?" Cassius continued.

"Yeah! I'd love to see our people tear those filthy monsters to pieces! It would be so great!" Carline said, a vicious smirk on her face.

A few people in the room where they were backed away, all too afraid of the psychotic Carline to say anything. They were used to it, but it still frightened them.

"Maybe we can remove Lelouch for good, and that dumb ditz of a princess." Cassius agreed. Then, the two of them went their separate ways, eager to start their scheme.

**A/**

Charles was also watching Lelouch and Euphemia talking to the audience. V.V. was also present.

"It appears that girl is still alive." V.V. replied. "But, she still has some value, right?"

Charles nodded. "So long as we have her and Nunnally, Lelouch won't lay a finger on me. After all, he wouldn't want anything to happen to his dear sisters? It's the same for Cornelia, too. As long as Lelouch, Euphemia, and Nunnally are around, she's as gentle as a lamb."

"Another cave has been found, Marianne." He said to himself.

_"That's good. We're one step closer to our plan." _

Like Lelouch, they desired a better world, but not like his. They only wanted a world of memories.

"Yes, the plan can proceed...soon." He said.

_"What of my son?" _

"He has returned to me. I recently spoke with him."

_"Interesting. Did you force him to, or did he come by his own will?" _

"By Euphemia's request." Charles replied coldly.

Marianne chuckled in his head.

_"If he gets in our way, we will eliminate him." Marianne said coldly. _

"Remember, the ultimate plan is to get C.C." V.V. reminded. "She could possibly be a liability."

A/N:I don't know why, but somehow the Emperor reminds me of that man from Tsubasa, the one who sits around and watches everything the characters do. It turns out that he has all the cards in his hand, like Charles.

I never liked the villain. I just thought he was stupid, because he sat around and did nothing. But he actually had. Clever mindscrew!

Probably because CLAMP partially worked on Code Geass.


	7. Chapter 7 Query

**A/N:Here's another chapter! **

**Chapter 7 Query**

Euphemia sighed. Lately, things had been going well for her and Lelouch. But, there was one thing on her mind that had been bothering her lately. It was Lelouch. His behavior was a little strange.

She remembered how he had acted again whenever the two of them were alone. He acted very strange, and she was beginning to wonder whether he was hiding something from her. She decided she would have to find out what he was hiding from her soon.

She hoped it wasn't something bad. After all, Suzaku was quite worried about her. Wait a second...she had declared her love for Suzaku, and now here she was, starting to fall for her...brother?

Euphie gasped. **I sound like some kind...of weirdo! I wonder how Suzaku is doing... **

As if somehow reading her mind, a familiar brown-haired teen came racing into the room. "Euphie! Are you all right?"

Euphie blinked for a few seconds in complete confusion. "Suzaku? What are you talking about? I'm just fine!"

Suzaku sighed. "Thank god...I had a dream you were killed by Zero...and it scared me so much." He said.

Euphemia only smiled warmly. "Don't worry about me, silly. Zero would never hurt me like that." She reassured him softly.

"How do you know that? He's a terrorist! He could kill you if he gets the chance-wait, Euphie, do you know who he really is? Tell me!" Suzaku said.

Euphie flinched. Had she said too much? "No, Suzaku. Of course I don't know who he is."

Suzaku looked suspicious. "Are you sure you're not hiding something from me?"

Euphie blinked. "No, I'm not. Silly Suzaku." She said gently, surprised at how good a liar she could be. She never thought she could lie to Suzaku, not after he'd confided in her so much.

But now Lelouch was lying to her. She could believe that, since so many years had passed since she and Lelouch were with each other. He probably changed a lot due to things he saw in the war...

"Suzaku...I was wondering about Lelouch. He's different now. Isn't he?" She asked, voicing her question out loud.

"Euphie...we saw a lot of horrible things in the war. Anyone would change after seeing things like that. But I assure you nothing's wrong with him mentally." He said.

Euphemia nodded, but inwardly she shook her head. _No, Suzaku. You don't know because you don't know he's Zero. Btu I do. I just think there's something strange with him... _

Lelouch sat on his bed in his new royal room. Should he tell Euphemia about his geass? That was important. "Maybe not..."

What if he geassed her without meaning to? Either he should tell her about it, and make sure she knew that he had it. Or, he could geass her into doing something. Or saying something. What would that something be? Something she would never do or say?

_I could make her go against Britannia, but that would make her a slave against her will. _

_I could make her renounce the Emperor and swear loyalty to Japan, but she's already done that..._

A small smirk came onto his lips as he thought about this opportunity. This would be the perfect geass order. No one would see it coming, not even C.C.

A/N:It is not a genocidal command.

He knew it would come soon. The time when he would have to tell Euphemia about his geass, for her safety. As long as she didn't tell anyone. Well, she had promised not to tell anyone about his being alive, but so much for that. When he had first come to talk with her, he had been furious at how effortless it had been for her to dismantle his plans completely.

But then, she had told him she had planned to give up her claim to the throne to do this. He had been totally shocked about that. She hadn't actually done it yet, but Lelouch knew it wouldn't be long before the nobility became angry with Euphemia and exiled her. Like they had become with him.

Britannia wouldn't just automatically accept the Japanese as people because Euphemia commanded them to. It would only count inside the SAZ. Outside the SAZ, Britannians could do whatever they wanted to the Japanese, and no one would blink an eye. Except for Euphemia. She was different from many of the other nobles in that way.

Just like him, she desired the Japanese to have equality. Maybe she wanted that since they took care of him and Nunnally before the war broke out. Or maybe it was just out of the goodness of her heart. Whatever the reason was, he decided then he would help her, and help himself at the same time, in getting rid of the royalty of Britannia.

He smirked. "This should be interesting..."

As he said that, C.C. looked over at him curiously. "You know, someone's here to see you. I think it's a blond man."

Lelouch's fists tightened. "Schneizel?"

C.C. got up and went to the window. "I think now's the time for me to take my leave. The royal family doesn't know I'm with you, after all."

With those parting words, she was gone. Lelouch only sighed and readied himself as Schneizel came in the doorway.

"Ah, hello Lelouch. I'm so glad I can get to talk to you." He said warmly.

As usual, Schneizel showed no emotion on his face. But then again, Lelouch had developed a pretty good poker face, too. He wondered who would win in a game of chess if they played again?


	8. Chapter 8 Contention

A/N:**Hello, my readers! I haven't updated this for FAR too long, so time to get back to work. Unlike other writers, I can multitask (one thing my family and friends can't understand about me.) XD MasakiForeverdead: Thank you for the alerts, and to the other 70+ people, thank you as well. My god, 70+? O.o Wow...**

**Chapter 8 Contention **

She could not believe it. Why had he gone and done it? Her big brother, Lelouch, had promised they would never go back to the Royal Family again. She had missed Euphie, Clovis, and Cornelia, but she supposed her big brother had a good reason for doing so, and did as she was told.

But now here he was, going back to the Imperial Family, after all his talk about hating them and their kind. He had gone and left her alone again. She had wanted to speak to him again, but she wondered whether the risks were too great. She figured that he was too busy to speak to her. Which was why she was surprised to hear the phone ring, and Sayoko pick it up.

"Hello? Yes, this is where Lady Nunnally lives. Oh? You wish to talk to her?" Sayoko's voice sounded surprised. Nunnally wondered who could possibly be calling. Could it be her brother? Sayoko came near her, and Nunnally reached out with her hands and grasped what felt like a telephone.

"Hello?" She said aloud, then she gasped, and a huge smile came on her face. "Big sister Euphie, I've missed you!"

"Nunnally, I've missed you, too! I know you miss Lelouch, but he can't see you just yet." Euphie said consolingly.

"Euphie, how is your plan going? Are the Japanese happy? I want them to be...since they took care of us when we stayed here before the war." Nunnally trailed off.

"It's going great! Most of them are very happy, but I think we will need more space as more people come in. Lelouch is helping me with it. So far, we're doing well."

"Can I speak to him?" Nunnally inquired.

"Not at the moment, Nunnally. I'm sorry, but he's currently busy with some things." Euphie said. She meant Lelouch was busy being a prince and he had apparently selected a stand-in for him to be Zero. She had asked him what that meant for his plans, and his response had been brief.

"_We'll see what happens, Euphie. For the most part, my substitute will be responsible for handling the Black Knights while I am forced back into being a puppet for that man." He said. _

"_Lelouch..." Euphie said in concern, eying her older brother, and wondering what was truly going on in her brother's mind. He seemed to have become as good at hiding his true motives and feelings as Schneizel. The more she looked at him now, the harder it became for her to read his mind and feelings. He didn't wear his heart on his sleeve as he had done in the past. _

"Are you sure you're not hiding something, Euphie? Big brother had become so busy lately that I really miss him. But the Student Council is keeping me busy. Is Suzaku with you?"

Euphie suddenly became aware of someone behind her. "Sorry, Nunnally. I have to go now." She said abruptly, hanging up, much to Nunnally's dismay.

"Euphie..." Nunnally thought.

Euphie turned off the phone. She turned around to see Carline staring at her in distaste. "Hello, Carline. What can I help you with? Anything at all?"

"I see you're an Eleven lover, huh? We shouldn't have trusted you. It'll be fun for father to know that what you're doing violates Britannian law." Carline taunted.

"You wouldn't dare! Cornelia will definitely back me up on this one!" Euphie exclaimed in surprise.

Carline smirked. "Oh, dear Euphie, you've become too foolish. Actions have consequences. Most of the time, Cornelia has always defended you. Not this time. You know what she said? She told me that you are at risk of being exiled, just like little Lelouch-" She jeered.

"I'm afraid I'm not little anymore, Carline." A cold voice retorted. Lelouch had come up behind them, while they were talking; Suzaku by his side as well.

"Smells like a piece of trash is here! Why must you drag along a filthy eleven, Lelouch? Or it is just part of your contaminated blood?" Carline sneered.

"Just shut up." Lelouch said coldly, not even looking her way.

"Why, you! Brother Cassius, the commoner is insulting me again!" Carline cried, hurrying off before Euphie could do anything more.

Suzaku shook his head in disgust. "To think that you had to put up with people like that when you were younger, Lelouch." He said sympathetically. His gaze drifted to Euphie. "Are you all right, Princess?"

"Don't worry, Suzaku. I'm just fine. How about you, Lelouch?" Euphie asked.

Lelouch was silent for a moment. Then he took Euphie by the arm, and led her away from Suzaku.

"Hey, Lelouch, what are you-?" He protested.

"Calm down, Suzaku, we'll be back in a moment." Lelouch reassured. Once he made sure they were out of earshot, he spoke. "Euphie, I've received word from Schneizel. I don't know whether I should be inclined to believe it or not, but it seems that Carline and Cassius are attempting to sabotage the Special Administrative Zone through rumormongering and by getting other nobles on their side. I know Carline is extremely Japanophobic, but that gives her no right to trample on people's basic rights." Lelouch stated, his face tight with worry.

"What do we do, Lelouch? I nearly gave up my claim to the throne, and Carline told me Cornelia wants...to disinherit me." Euphie said.

Lelouch scoffed. "Come now, Euphemia. Cornelia may be upset with you, but she's not going to disinherit you. She's not too much like that man."

"Who's not like that man?" An imperious voice said.

Lelouch turned around to meet his sister, who was frowning at them both. "Hello, dear sister. How are the plans going to trap the Black Knights?" He said evasively, changing the subject as swiftly as a cheetah does while chasing its prey.

Cornelia raised her eyes in suspicion. "Lelouch, the last time I checked, you were not the Viceroy. Still, I suppose you tried to talk some sense into Euphemia?" She said hardly.

"Yes, dear sister, but so far, it's been hard. You know how stubborn she gets when her mind is made up about something." Lelouch said, smirking at his younger sister, who huffed.

Euphie shook her head. "Lelouch, I'm doing this for the sake of the people of Japan." She scolded gently. "And for Nunnally."

"Speaking of which, why is it that Nunnally has not come with you?" She directed the question like a dagger to Lelouch's heart.

He kept his poker face on while he tried to concoct an acceptable (and adequate) excuse. Should we say it was for her education? No, that would be a blatant lie. Why not say it was for her to remain safe from Zero? It sounded believable, after all. Cornelia cared as much about Nunnally as he did, so manipulating her feelings a little shouldn't hurt her _too much. _

"It's too dangerous, sister. Nunnally and I were imprisoned by Zero for so long that we have become extra cautious. Zero told us it'd be easier to blend in at a Britannian school, so long as she kept an eye on us. However, even though Euphemia has freed me, he has not done the same to Nunnally. So, I have to bide my time, dear sister. As do you." He said suavely.

"Right. By the way, you need a knight, Lelouch. You're old enough to select one. Please don't select an Eleven, brother. Euphie has gotten herself into enough trouble with that decision already." Cornelia informed, handing him a paper with photos of different people on it.

_Of course, they're all Britannian. Just like you, dear sister. _

He scanned the paper, feigning interest. _Suzaku is already taken. Kallen? No, that would be too suspicious. People already think of me as a supporter of the Japanese, so I should stick to someone who doesn't stand out. Gottwald? Should I really? That seems to be one of my options. After all, he is devoted to my family. But he did nearly kill Suzaku. Oh, well. I suppose when push comes to shove... _

"Sister, I think I'm interested in Gottwald. He was a servant of my mother, after all." Lelouch said persuasively, wondering he could geass Cornelia now. _No, not in front of Euphemia. _

"Sounds good, Lelouch. By the way, you must take better care of yourself. I'll see to it that you gain more weight, and get in shape." Cornelia said sharply.

"But..." Lelouch said in annoyance.

"Lelouch, you will not be as lazy as you were when you were a child! I will look after you, whether you like it or not!" Cornelia screeched.

"Sister, maybe you should cut him some slack. He's working hard." Euphie said defensively.

"That goes for you too, Euphemia! I will not put up with your disobedience anymore!" Cornelia yelled. She stormed off down the hallway.

"Lelouch, I think we should go back to Suzaku." Euphemia said.

A plan was forming in Lelouch's mind at that very moment. He knew just how to go about doing it, too. "Euphie, I must tell you something." He began. "I have a power that others do not."

She looked at him in surprise. "Oh, you're joking." She said.

"I can make others obey me, but only once. No matter what it is. I could tell you to get rid of Suzaku, renounce Cornelia as your sister, or give away your hand in marriage." He said again.

"Stop playing around and be serious, Lelouch." She scolded.

"For instance, if I tell you to..." The first words in his mind were too malicious for him to comprehend. Gotcha. On to plan B... "Realize Britannia is bad and corrupt, and join the Black Knights in support of Zero, you would obey me without question." He said.

He didn't notice it happen, until he saw Euphie backing away from him, looking afraid.

"No, Lelouch. I'm not doing that...No..." She said, shaking her head. Then, she started to shake, holding her hands against her chest. "No, I don't want to join them! I want to...remain by your side! I don't want to renounce Britannia!"

Lelouch gasped. _Did I just...? _

Euphie lifted her head to reveal her eyes that were now rimmed in red. "You're right, Lelouch. Britannia is bad. I must join the Black Knights and support Zero."

_Crap, my geass is haywire! _

"Euphie, forget that order! Euphie, no!" He said, but Euphie darted away from him.

"Sorry, I must leave Britannia, Lelouch." She said, looking sad for a moment, before a wide smile formed on her face.

"Where is Euphie going, Lelouch?" Cornelia asked.

Lelouch placed his hand over his left eye. _Damn, I'll have to cover my eye up with something! _"I don't know."

"Euphie, don't run like that!" Cornelia scolded, having noticed her younger sister.

Euphie stopped. "Sister, I must leave Britannia. It is corrupt. I have to join the Black Knights." She said cheerfully.

"Euphie, stop that! You mustn't think like that!" Cornelia said, shaking her sister.

Euphie pushed her aside. "Sorry, sister. I must not stay here. I must renounce Britannia! Won't you join me?" She asked, holding a gloved hand out to her sister.

"Euphie, what's gotten into you? I knew this project of yours was a bad idea! Euphie, don't!" She said, trying to grab Euphie, but Euphie was too fast and raced off toward the Emperor's room.

Lelouch followed reluctantly, wary of attracting attention from him. He realized there was one thing he could do. He called C.C. "C.C, there's been trouble. My geass is uncontrollable. I need to restrain Euphie! She's going to get herself exiled!"

"_What's wrong? Isn't that part of your plan?" _C.C said.

"No, I didn't mean to use it on her at all! I need you to have the Black Knights protect her! She can help the Japanese this way!" Lelouch declared.

"Always manipulative, aren't you?" She said tonelessly. "Very well, then."

Some nobles were gathered in the hall when Euphemia came racing in. She went past Odysseus, who asked what was wrong. She ignored him, and approached the Emperor's throne, where he was sitting.

"Your majesty, I wish to renounce Britannia!"

The room was silent.

"Why would you want to do that? You have every privilege imaginable! Euphemia, you are being foolish!" Charles said.

"Britannia is corrupt! I must join the Black Knights, because they are doing right. I am just a figurehead in your eyes, am I not?" Euphie challenged, her red-rimmed eyes facing her father's.

"How dare you speak to the Emperor like that!" Guinevere said. "This is outrageous, Euphemia. Stop this impudence at once!"

Euphemia watched all the nobles around her. They were all gossiping.

"...don't believe this! I knew she was an Eleven lover!" Carline said venomously.

"...If I were the Emperor, I would have shipped off that little hussy a long time ago!"

"...She should be whipped into shape! Disgraceful little b**ch!"

Euphemia's eyes widened. _They're gossiping about me, treating me like I'm subhuman! This isn't right, I knew it._

"You people are outdated and corrupt! You think only of yourselves, and let everyone else who isn't like you suffer! That's the true side of Britannia! Zero told me so! I cannot tolerate this accursed nation any longer!"

"Hold your tongue, Euphemia! You have always been a spoiled child, but to think that you would go this far..." Cornelia uttered, storming up to Euphemia. "Please, she meant no disrespect! Zero must have corrupted her with bad thoughts!"

"Let go of me this instant! You will not help me renounce Britannia, won't you?" Euphie repeated, looking at her sister in desperation.

"No, stop this! You're insane! Do you wish to make yourself an enemy of Britannia?" Cornelia declared.

"If doing the right thing means giving up what I care about most, then I'm willing to. I must fight in the name of justice!" Euphemia shrieked.

"Very well, then. Do you wish to become nothing more than an ordinary citizen, Euphemia! You foolish child! You will follow the path your brother once took in disgrace and ignominy! Your heresy is not acceptable." Charles bellowed, but Euphemia didn't back down.

"I'm not afraid of you! I will join Zero to fight your ways!"

"It shall be, then. Euphemia li Britannia, you are hereby disowned! You are now a worthless Britannian! Take her out!" Charles boomed.

The guards then threw Euphemia out. Lelouch was there to catch her, though.

"Forgive me, Euphie." He said softly.

"Why are you upset? I am doing what you asked! I wish to join the Black Knights! I wish to speak to the Japanese!"

"Kaasan, look at the news!" A five year old girl said, pointing a finger at the TV she was watching.

"What? I'm busy right now!" Her mother yelled back.

"It's Princess Yufemia...she has..." The girl said.

The mother came in to watch the bulletin.

"This just in:Third Princess Euphemia li Britannia has officially been disowned due to heresy! She has accused Britannia of being corrupt! She has decided to join Zero! Authorities declared her insane, but they have let her go."

"I wish to free Japan! To do that, I must not be a part of such a corrupt nation like Britannia!" Euphemia said over the TV at the stadium.

The Japanese woman gasped. Her eyes started to fill up with tears. "My god...she has kept her promise. Oh, Yuki, we might finally be free!" She exclaimed, hugging the five-year old.

"She's so brave, mommy! And kind!" Yuki added.

"Yes, she is."

"She also wants to join the Black Knights! Such a shame!"

"No, it is not." The woman retorted. "It's a miracle! That's what this is!"


	9. Chapter 9 Consequences

**A/N:Thanks for all the reviews! I guess a lot of people are Euphemia fans! I am, just look at my fanfics and you'll see. So, on to the chappie. Expect some changes. I don't believe all the alerts I have for this story. 79? Geez, I must be blind. Thanks, guys! **

**Chapter 9 Consequences**

There was silence in the room. The occupants in it were greatly interested in the news that had come from Princess Euphemia's mouth. Apparently, not only were the Eleventh prince and princess alive, they were both happy and content to return back to the Royal family. That was what the news had said, but these people knew better than to trust the media, due to Prince Lelouch's past.

One of the occupants stretched a little in her seat. She had short green hair and brilliant blue eyes. She was wearing the typical uniform expected from someone of her rank, a fancy outfit with the symbol for the Knights of the Round on it. "So, is that news really true, Anya?" She asked. Her blue eyes were wide with excitement. "Is it true that little Lulu and Nana are still alive?"

The pinkette who sat across from her nodded dully. Her red eyes showed little emotion as she spoke. "Yes. They are still alive, but it seems Euphemia has exiled herself from Britannia. That is a strange occurrence, wouldn't you think?" She asked, pausing a moment.

The blond-haired boy across from her nodded his head. "I think it is strange, Anya. I barely know the Third Princess, but I know she wouldn't do anything _that _stupid. If she had, then the Viceroy ought to have stopped her." He remarked. "It is an odd issue."

"Euphie has always been spontaneous. Even when she was little." The green-haired woman remarked playfully. "I simply can't understand why she would make a silly error like this. To think that she supported the Elevens this entire time! I'm surprised that the Emperor wasn't against this idea from the get-go!" She interjected.

The blond-haired boy nodded. He seemed thoughtful. "Nonnette, you're right about that. Even if she is an Eleven lover, she should've really thought about what her actions demonstrate to the people of Area 11! Even though it's not our job to handle exiles, I'm just really curious as to what prompted her to do such a rash thing. The li Britannia lineage is probably going to be in big trouble." He remarked.

The others nodded. A gray-haired man, who was the eldest of the Knights of the Round, cleared his throat. He had piercing blue-gray eyes and had an austere air about him. This man was Bismarck Waldstein, the man who bore the title of Knight of One. He was proud of that achievement, but it had come at a high price. He preferred not to tell people what that price was, but he established himself as a firm, yet kind leader who preferred peace to war.

He glanced around at everyone before speaking. "I have known Her Highness Euphemia since she was a young girl. She often used to come play with Prince Lelouch and Princess Nunnally at the Aries Villa. It's true that she has always been spontaneous and rash. That was usually why Her Highness Cornelia scolded her a lot, and became protective of her. She cared a lot about everyone, especially Prince Lelouch. When they were declared dead seven years ago, she changed a lot. I am close with Darlton, Cornelia's knight, and he told me that she would often lock herself in her room and cry. From that moment on, I believe she tried to be as good a princess as possible, and keep herself in line." He said gravely.

There was silence.

"I remember her behaving in the exact same manner as you describe her, Bissy!" Nonnette purred.

Anya merely nodded. "I don't really remember her as a kid, but that's probably because I was really little then." She said dully.

"You are still cute today, Annie!" Nonnette gushed. "I can't wait to see Corny and Lulu again!"

Bismarck continued. "As I was saying, I believe somewhere down the line, she has decided to rebel. Perhaps she met someone who had anti-Britannian sentiments and caused her to change her beliefs into heretical ones. That's all fine and dandy, as long as you do your job. But she has done the worst thing a royal can do, which is to turn her back on the laws and fairness that make up the Britannian Empire! I don't understand how she could possibly spurn the Emperor's love and compassion to live among Elevens!" He said, and concluded his speech.

"So, why does this concern us again?" The blond boy inquired.

"Are we going to kill some damn Elevens? I'd sure like to see a little action out on the battlefield!" Another boy beside him exclaimed evilly. He licked his lips at the thought of it.

"Calm down, Luciano. There will be time for that, in due course. For now, we are calling this meeting to decide what to do about the Black Knights and Euphemia. It concerns us as much as it concerns the people of Britannia. Euphemia doesn't concern me as much as the Black Knights do. No royal or Britannian citizen should dare go near them. I fear she has gotten mixed up with them." Bismarck said.

"So what if she's an Eleven lover? If she's a gorgeous babe, I'll take good care of her." Gino said.

Nonnette nudged him. "This is becoming interesting. So, what if old Corny blows her top? You know how much she dotes on Euphie." She said.

"That is true." Anya said.

"We must keep the Britannian Empire, and the Areas under control. In order to do that...I would like to discuss plans with Prince Schneizel about how to weed out members of the Black Knights and execute them. Perhaps we could use Euphemia there." Luciano said. "Mmm..doesn't anyone else want to see their leader's true face? I do."

Nonnette shook her head. "It is true that that old Zero is dashing! He's such a ham, though! Imagine what he looks like inside!" She said, shivering. "He's obviously an Eleven."

Anya said, "Should we really manipulate Euphemia against Cornelia's wishes? After all, she is protective and fierce when angered." She explained.

Bismarck hesitated. "We're not taking action right away. I never said we were going to be hasty and reckless about this decision, Anya. What we do need to do for the time being is to keep an eye on Prince Lelouch."

Gino looked intrigued by this remark. "Why do you suggest that? The guy just got back here. Why don't we give him space?"

"Well. He got himself exiled when he was only nine for challenging the Emperor. I wonder if he bears a grudge because of it. Either way, I am interested in seeing the boy again." Bismarck said finally.

The rest of the Knights of the Round were all silent. Finally, one spoke up. It was Nonnette who did.

"Can I go see Lulu?" She asked, much to no one's surprise. Nonnette had always been very eccentric, even within nobility. She didn't really care much about her status or her rank, and always found it hilarious to air someone else's dirty laundry in public. As a result, this caused even the Witch of Britannia to fear her.

Gino smacked his forehead. "Must you always address a prince like that, Nonnette? You have to be polite at all times. You can't just be so informal with them." He scolded.

Nonnette grinned devilishly at him. "Don't chastise me, young man. I'm sure you don't want a certain something coming out of the closet." She whispered.

Gino shivered. "Yes, ma'am." He said stiffly.

"Now I know how she won over Princess Cornelia." Luciano whispered to his friend, Monica, who only sighed. "Too bad she won't win me over. You know, I'm a little curious about this Prince Lelouch. I'd like to fight against him sometime."

Anya just started texting again. "I bet you can probably find him somewhere around the SAZ." She said in boredom.

"How do you know that, Annie? Are you a stalker when it comes to Lulu?" Nonnette purred.

Anya shrugged her shoulders. If anyone had looked close enough, they would have seen light red circling her irises. "Let's just say..I know him well." She said vaguely.

* * *

C.C. smirked as she sat on her bed. "So you were messing around again, huh? That's like you." She said tonelessly. She waited a moment. "So you heard about Euphemia? You think that's funny? That's typical of you."

"I know he's rash, but he's your son. You ought to be a little more prudent. After all, we don't want V.V. learning of your survival." C.C. said.

She sighed again, and stopped as the door opened. In came a familiar man with a cape. Behind him was Princess Euphemia. She was flouncing behind him as always. She somehow felt jealous at the way he was paying attention to her.

"How'd it go, you two?" She asked tonelessly.

Zero made sure the door was closed before removing his mask to reveal Lelouch vi Britannia underneath. "Well, so far they don't really trust her yet. But we'll fix that. It's only natural that they would doubt you, eh, Princess?" He said.

Euphemia was silent for a moment. The geass had faded from her eyes, but he knew it would still be ingrained in her from this moment on. "What exactly happened, Lelouch? Last thing I know, you were talking to me...and then..."

"You renounced your loyalty to Britannia and joined the Black Knights. That's what happened. It's quite complicated." Lelouch explained.

Upon getting a confused stare from Euphemia, he lowered his right hand from his left eye to reveal the red crane of the geass glowing in it. Her eyes widened as she stared at his eye.

"What happened to your eye, Lelouch?" She asked quietly. Her purple eyes were serious as she looked at her half-brother, who was quiet for a few moments. "What did you do to me?"

"This is my geass. I can make anyone obey absolutely any command I give them, but it only works once. It has to work with eye contact. I used to be able to control it, but somehow it went out of control and geassed you, Euphie. I didn't mean to force you to leave your position in the Royal Family. " He said solemnly.

"Lelouch, I was a figurehead who wasn't doing anything for herself! I needed to do something else other than look pretty for the camera! That's why I started the SAZ. It's part of what you want, right? A gentle world? If only we could get Suzaku to join our side..." She trailed off at that point, and looked very somber.

"But...what about Cornelia?" Lelouch uttered.

"I'll see her again, Lelouch. I don't know if she'll want to see me after this. By the way, Lelouch...are we with the Black Knights?" Euphie asked.

"Yes. I took you back here, because my geass also forced you to join the Black Knights. Let's try and make you less conspicuous. You're bound to be a prime target in the royal eye." He said. "C.C., why don't you help her find some new clothes to wear?" He said. "I have to go somewhere for a bit." He said, and put the mask back on.

"Wait, Lelouch!" Euphie cried, but the door slammed, and she was alone with the green-haired girl. The greenette yawned and turned to look at the former princess.

* * *

"So, he wants me to take care of you? Interesting turn of events." She drawled. "After all...he was going to have you shoot him. " She stated.

"What? That's silly. There's no way I would do something like that. Are you sure you can help me? I mean, I don't really like losing my dress..." She pouted slightly.

C.C. sighed. "Everyone really wants to be famous, right? Once they become famous, they find they miss the privacy...the sense of normality. Even though it's tedious to be normal, you still have your privacy, but once you become famous, it all goes away from you. Suddenly, you're a tool in the eyes of the media, a god in the eyes of the people, and a threat to other famous people. Your thoughts and feelings no longer matter. You just wait for someone to come along and give you praise." She mused. "Does that about sum up your feelings?"

Euphemia gasped. "How did you know that story? Lady Marianne was the only one who told me that when I was little!" She said.

"I knew Marianne, too. But you must keep that a secret from Lelouch." She said cryptically. "Oh, and don't tell anyone about his power, or about his identity as Zero."

"Not even Suzaku?" Euphie questioned, but decided against it. "Should I cut my hair?" She asked C.C.

"Do whatever you want. You're only getting a change in your clothing, so if you want to dye it, I have no say in it...it's really up to Lelouch. As long as he gets me more pizza tomorrow..." She trailed off.

Euphemia blinked in confusion. "Why does Lelouch have to get you pizza?" She asked.

"It's his obligation." C.C. replied vaguely. "In exchange for his granting my wish..."

Euphemia sighed. It appeared there were things he told this girl that he didn't even bother to tell her. She decided to put on a black suit with a pair of black pants. C.C. suggested it. "I want to wear something pink." She said.

"We don't wear pink in the Black Knights. Unless you want a pink Knightmare, that is...you puppet princess!" A familiar voice spat.

Euphemia turned around to see a familiar redhead with blue eyes glaring at her. "Oh, you were with Zero on that island! I remember you!" She said, her eyes lighting up.

"It appears you still can't do what you feel is best. Why are you with Zero, anyway? You're a Britannian Princess!" Kallen said. "I don't trust a princess!"

"Then, you'd be distrusting Zero, because he's a pri-no, he's for the protection of the weak! I am a puppet, but I've decided to stop hiding behind my older sister's shadow and follow my own destiny!" She proclaimed, her eyes shining with determination.

Kallen stared at her in interest. "We'll just see. If you're some kind of Britannian spy and you end up ratting us out-I'll never forgive you!" She hissed before striding out. "Oh, and don't lay a finger on Zero! He belongs to me!" She announced.

"When was Zero yours, Kallen?" C.C. pointed out.

"I know you're his mistress, C.C., but he's destined to be with me!" Kallen exclaimed.

"Shut up. " C.C muttered.

Euphemia just frowned upon seeing the two girls fighting a losing battle with each other. "Are you guys always this catty?" She remarked flippantly.

Kallen jumped. "No, not at all! It's just that Zero's a great leader!"

Euphemia looked nostalgic as she watched the two girls argue over Lelouch. It reminded her of when she and Nunnally would fight over who got to have their brother's hand in marriage. Usually she would win. Sometimes Nunnally would win, or sometimes Lelouch would choose them both. It made her feel jealous, somehow. Did Lelouch really love these girls over her, or was she just paranoid?

She dismissed the idle thoughts out of her brain. She decided not to focus on that. The important thing was whether or not she was going to prove useful in the eyes of the Black Knights-though Lelouch would ensure that nothing bad would happen to her...right?

* * *

Schneizel studied the young man in front of him. "You have grown a lot, my brother." He said to Lelouch.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about, Schneizel?" Lelouch questioned politely, but inwardly he was debating what exactly Schneizel wanted from him.

"It's about Euphemia." He said.


	10. Chapter 10 Uncertainty

**A/N:Thanks for all the reviews! Things are going to become more complicated from now on! **

**Chapter 10 Uncertainty**

Euphemia stared at herself in the mirror. The former third princess of Britannia was noticeably stunned by the changes that could come simply from changing her wardrobe. For one thing, she certainly didn't _look _like a princess anymore, now that she had different clothes on. But wasn't that something she had always wanted? Ever since she was a child, she had always hated being treated differently than other children her age. Adults would always be treating her in a very respectful manner, which at first Euphemia took to mean that they really cared about her, like her sister Guinevere su Britannia, or her other brothers Schneizel and Clovis.

However, as the years passed, she started questioning the system that Britannia ruled by. There were some pieces to the puzzle that was Britannia's nobility that she simply could not understand. For instance, she'd always wondered why her half-brother Lelouch had gotten exiled. The reason was entirely stupid to her. He had just questioned his mother's death in front of the Emperor, and for that, he got tossed aside in some foreign country with Nunnally to die? That was so trivial that Euphie did not understand why her father had not admitted the truth about Marianne's death. She knew there was something behind it, since Sister Cornelia had always admired Marianne, as she had admitted to Lelouch on the island where they met after seven long years.

To be honest, at first Euphemia had believed Zero to be a foul, heartless man who cared about nothing except destroying her family and the only life she had ever known. She too wanted the Japanese to be free, and that was why she had made the Special Zone in the first place. But she didn't want to have to use violence in order to get it, because that wasn't right to her. But now that she was exiled like Lelouch had been, until he willingly gave himself back to nobility, the impact of what Lelouch had done now hit her in the face. He had seen the nobility's corruption, and like her, he too wanted to live the life of an ordinary person, not some graven image to be worshipped and admired and thought of as a god.

She had always suspected that Zero was Lelouch, but she was never certain until she met him on the island. She also never thought that her gentle, caring half-brother could point a _gun _at her, and threaten to kill her. The old Lelouch would have never shot his own half-brother simply for ordering the deaths of Japanese. The old Lelouch would never have become a terrorist simply for his sister. If only they had never been separated, perhaps he would have turned out differently. But there was no way to turn back the hands of time. What was done was done, and there was no use in moping over the past.

Euphie turned her thoughts back to the present as she looked over herself again. It felt strange to not wear her dress; she had always adored that dress of hers. In fact, it was a keepsake that was quite precious to her, since Marianne had given it to her when she was only a child. Of course, at the time, the dress hadn't fit her, but Marianne told her one day she would be able to wear it, and become a fine young woman. She now wore a plain and (rather drab) black uniform, with...black pants? This was something Euphie had never worn much. She was no tomboy, unlike that girl who seemed to be Lelouch's bodyguard. That redhead who was so arrogant and mean to her was nasty. Nonetheless, the pinkette couldn't help wondering exactly what about her the girl despised. After all, she had abandoned royalty. Surely the girl would forgive her for being a "puppet" and try to make friends with her.

Also, she had pulled her hair back, since she was a pretty well-known person by now for creating the first Zone dedicated to helping the Japanese. Lelouch seemed pretty content, for the moment. But she still couldn't believe Lelouch had used such a cruel power on her to begin with. The only odd thing about all this, was the fact that she couldn't remember what had happened the last time she had talked to her father. It was all a vague blur in her mind. She wondered what Suzaku was up to.

_He must be pretty upset with me. I know Cornelia will find it in her heart to forgive me. _

* * *

The door opened, and a familiar redhead stepped in the room. Her eyes narrowed as she examined the former princess. There was a look of disdain in her eyes. "So, are you really on the side of the Japanese, and Zero? Or, are you just a spy for Britannia?"

Euphemia remained silent, but flashed her a withering stare. The redhead didn't back down; rather she seemed more angry by the fact that Euphie hadn't answered her question. Well, she didn't need to. Those were personal reasons, and she had no right to know why she had given up her claim to the throne.

The redhead fumed. "Are you going to answer me?"

Euphie shook her head. "I'm afraid we got off on the wrong foot. I'm no longer a princess. I'm just Euphemia, or Euphie now. Speaking of which, I don't even know your name. Can you tell me what it is?" She said politely.

The redhead only snorted proudly. "Hmph! Try and suck up to me! It doesn't work on me, Britannian!"

"I bet you trust Zero well. Zero happens to be Britannian, you know, yet you follow his orders. Why can't you treat me the way you treat him?" Euphemia questioned, keeping her voice calm.

Kallen's eyes widened at that. "You...why I follow Zero is none of your concern."

"Nor is my reason for coming here any of your business." Euphemia said coolly.

The redhead only glared at her before shaking her head. "Zero wants to introduce you to the Black Knights. I'm supposed to escort you, so follow me, **Princess." She spat. **

**"**Why do you hate me so much? I've always despised the way my people treat the Japanese, you know." Euphie admitted.

Kallen stared at her in surprise. "Why? You have every right to hate me." She whispered in awe.

"I don't think it's right, either. I always thought my family was right...about everything. But, after meeting Zero and getting to know him personally, I've recently reconsidered everything I believe in." Euphemia said, more to herself.

Kallen was silent the entire way. Then, she spoke up. "You're certainly...different from most nobles I know. My father...is an arrogant bastard who believes all Japanese are inferior swine." She admitted quietly.

"My father believes in Social Darwinism. The strong prevail over the weak, in his point of view. That's why he abandoned my half-brother and sister here in Japan-" Euphemia stopped upon realizing she had said too much.

"Who do you mean? Are you saying Lelouch and Nunnally-" Kallen began.

"Yes. They were abandoned here by my family. They were tools and then left for dead. Lelouch hates his family now." Euphemia said. "Frankly, I don't blame him for it."

Kallen's eyes were wide. "I never thought that arrogant jerk was that good of a person." She admitted.

"You know him?"

"Yes, we went to the same school together."

"Oh, Ashford?" Euphemia questioned. Kallen nodded.

* * *

"We're nearly there now." Kallen answered, and then she entered a large room where a bunch of people in identical outfits waited. She motioned for Euphemia to stand beside her. Zero was right up at the front. He stood up upon seeing her. "Ah, Princess Euphemia. Or shall I say, former Princess?"

Euphie frowned. He didn't sound like Lelouch. She wondered if someone else had taken over for her brother while he was away. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Zero. As you know, I wish to join the Black Knights."

A brown-haired man whose cheeks were flushed snickered loudly. "A princess joining? How preposterous! You Britannian bastards are the very reason we fight against your kind!" He yelled.

"Shut up, Tamaki." Kallen interjected.

"Well, you have to do something to prove your words are the truth, Euphemia." Zero began.

"What is that?" Euphemia asked hesitantly.

"You'll see soon enough. For now, we ask that you..." Zero began.

Euphemia listened closely. Her eyes widened. "You mean...?"

* * *

Lelouch sat in front of Schneizel in his office. He was hesitant to be here in the first place, but since he wished to avert suspicion from the noble court, and since his father threatened him, in order to keep up the pretense, he had to swallow the bait. Whatever Schneizel threw at him this time, he would be prepared. He would not let his poker face slip, no matter what his brother said.

"What about Euphemia, exactly?" Lelouch inquired hesitantly.

"Her behavior has really affected Cornelia and her family. You see, the nobles are very fickle, and due to Euphemia, they have already developed a distrust of Cornelia. That includes you, of course, since you disgraced your family name, and are serving Elevens. But I don't hold that against you, Lelouch." Schneizel said smoothly.

"I see. I know you'd never hate me, Schneizel. After all, we are family." Lelouch forced himself to say the distasteful words. He only smiled falsely. As long as he was here, he may as well fake affection for him. For now, anyhow...

"Lelouch? Is something the matter?" Schneizel inquired. There was a look of concern on his face. "You know, Lelouch. I've been curious about something. You haven't been here lately. You've been missing a lot. Are you perhaps...?"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed. Was Schneizel suspicious of him? Had he figured out his secret? If so, then he would have no choice but to geass him. Ah, well. It wouldn't be a big loss. No, he couldn't. That man was keeping a close eye on him. He had already noticed how some strange people had been following him lately. "I'm not affiliated with any terrorists." He said.

"I have suspected you, but that only makes sense, due to you being exiled. It's only natural that you would hate us. You don't still hate us, do you, Brother?" Schneizel questioned, his piercing blue eyes boring into Lelouch's.

Lelouch kept a straight face, and said nothing. He let nothing slip past his mask. "Of course I don't. What do you want me to do about Euphie?"

"Not yet. For now, what we need to focus on is getting you a knight, brother. I believe maybe a member of the Knights of the Rounds might do fine. Besides that, brother, have you had any physical training?"

Lelouch flinched. "I take it you still believe I am physically challenged. I assure you, I am good with a Knightmare. Do I really _have _to go through physical training?"

"Of course, brother. You wouldn't be a good prince unless you knew how to defend yourself. Is there anyone you had in mind for a knight?"

"I was thinking Gottwald." He said.

"I'm afraid he is too infamous. Why not nominate Mr. Bismarck Waldstein?" Schneizel suggested.

"Who's that?" Lelouch responded, frowning.

"He was an admirer of your mother, Lelouch. He deeply respects the Vi Britannia family, so you need not worry about him being a terrorist." Schneizel said.

"You know about that?" Lelouch asked.

"I believe it is nothing more than paranoia, Brother. I can assure you that even though some people like Carline and Cassius hate you, that none of them hate you deeply enough to want to hurt you."

_Sure they don't. You're just trying to get me to admit something. Well, I'm not falling for it. There's some other reason behind this. _

* * *

The door opened all of a sudden, and a few people came in. There were three...no, four people in the room now. One was a girl with pink hair and red eyes. She seemed to be on a phone. The second was a boy with blond hair tied back in a loose ponytail, and sky blue eyes. He seemed to give off a friendly air. The third was an older man with blue hair and gray eyes. He seemed very royal. The last was a woman with light green hair and blue eyes. She seemed _very familiar. _

"These are the Knights of the Round, Brother. This girl is the youngest, Anya Alstreim."

The pink-haired girl only blinked.

"This is Gino Weinburg."

A friendly grin, and a wave.

"Bismarck Waldstein."

Bismarck stepped over to Lelouch, and eyed him for a long moment. "I'm glad you're still alive, your highness. I believed you were dead." He said politely, and bowed.

Lelouch only smiled faintly. "Of course."

"This is Nonnette Enneagram."

Lelouch's blood froze. Of all people, why was _she _here?

"LULU! I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!" Nonnette shrieked, and pounced on Lelouch. She engulfed him in a massive hug, and Lelouch's face ended up getting squashed in her enormous breasts.

"Nonnette...you're crushing me..." Lelouch muttered. He did not like this at all.

"Lulu, I'm curious about Nana." Nonnette purred. "We can have so much fun!" She exclaimed.

"Can you be more serious?" Anya interjected coldly.

"Don't act too familiar. He is a prince, after all. Nice to meet you, Prince Lelouch. I'm Gino. I hope we can get along." He said, and shook Lelouch's hand.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. He seemed nice enough. "Nice to meet you, too."


	11. Chapter 11 Memories

**A/N:Time for another update! **

**Chapter 11 Memories**

What is life? Life itself is so precious and fleeting that we must make the best of it before it's too late to do so. Many people tried to escape this unfortunate fact by dwelling on fantasies and pretending that other worlds awaited them when they died, and as such practically wasted their lives for a utopia that would never come. They knew this. Others dwelled only on the past and the mistakes they made, and forgot about the present through the use of drugs.

What caused simple, ordinary people to go to such extremes to deny the existence of death? Two things in particular: one of them was fear of death, and the other was the very thing that man both treasured and hated more than anything else: memories. They made up every part of what makes a human a human, and without them, humanity would be nothing more than empty shells.

Memories made a human more than just a human. With memories, a human had a face, and a name to go with it, along with their reflection they saw in the mirror every day of their life. They also had families, houses, material possessions, and friends to go along with those memories. Emotions and identity went hand in hand. They gave humanity meaning and essence. Above all, they made up part of who they were.

What happens when that self-assurance starts to disappear? Most of the people who suffered from this were elderly people or people engaged in Refrain or other illegal drugs. But this was a rare case of a youth who could not remember various parts of her own life. She was confused, and disoriented. For her, life was an endless game of questions that went unanswered.

* * *

The female in question was only a teenager. She stood, poised on the diving board, as she stared down into the water that lay only a few inches below where she stood. If she were an acrophobe, she probably would have screamed and panicked. She might have, when she first started to swim. However...she had overcome that fear. She remembered that much. She had a lithe body and a nice figure.

She crossed her arms together, took a deep breath, and leapt off into the murky depths of the azure pool. The chill ran through her bones, and the water tried to pull her down, but she fought against it, and rose back up to the surface, water flying as she did so. She swam hard and fast, almost like a mermaid. She masterfully slapped the water with a powerful sidestroke and turned over. She then dove underwater again and bobbed up again like a dolphin. She swam to the side of the pool, and heard clapping.

"Yay! You did it again, Fenette!" Her friend, Sophie screamed. There was a look of utter glee in her eyes.

"Keep it up, hottie!" A boy on her team cried. His name was Jason. He seemed to be fond of her, but she paid him no mind and slowly climbed out. She ignored the looks the boys were giving her. She had always had an hourglass figure, unfortunately. She slowly removed her swimming cap and untied her long hair, which fell behind her. Her hair was a bright tangerine in color, and was shiny. Her eyes were olive in color and full of joy and excitement. Her name...was Shirley Fenette.

At first glance, she seemed to be your average teenage girl; interested in sports, friends, and boyfriends. She was always the perky, upbeat girl in her class. She inspired others with her wonderful and dazzling smiles that were pure and untainted by the cruelty of the world. However, she was not untouched by the horrors that humans were capable of committing. Her father had died a while ago, at the hands of the infamous terrorist, Zero.

However, the young girl did not remember this at all, thanks to a memory wipe that her secret crush had done on her. He only did it to protect her, but now she had no idea who he was. She was lonely and confused. She had deja vu all around her, but she could not remember this boy.

"Hey, did you see who was on the news yesterday? It was Lelouch!" One girl exclaimed as they were changing in the locker room.

"I know, I can't believe a boy we went to school with was a prince!" Sophie said. "He's even more dreamy now. Unfortunately, I think he has a lover...right here, right Shirley?" She winked teasingly, and nudged the orangette.

"Lulu? No, I don't really know him." Shirley said convincingly.

"Don't lie. You and your boyfriend must have had a fight. Now you're pretending you don't know him. Am I right?" Sophie analyzed.

"N-No, that's not it at all!" Shirley denied. She shook her head furiously, wishing she could smack Sophie upside the head. Honestly, everyone could be so crazy sometimes! Saying that she was in love with that boy!

* * *

As they got dressed and headed for their respective classrooms, Rivalz stopped Shirley in the hallway. "Hey, Shirley. You've gotta see the news!" He said, and pulled a confused Shirley by the arms.

She was confused and also annoyed. "Rivalz, let go of me!" She exclaimed. "When did I ever say you could pull my shirt!"

"It's about Lelouch! Just come and see!" Rivalz cried. Shirley's heart sank in her chest. Why was it that every time that boy's name was mentioned, she felt a pang of pain in her heart? She didn't really know him that well,so why did she feel sad?

Rivalz led her into the student council room, where Milly, Nina, Kallen, and Nunnally were. Nunnally was surrounded by men in fancy black uniforms, as well as her maid, Sayoko. They all looked very imposing and menacing. Not unlike the men in black who deter people who claim to have seen aliens.

"Why are those men here?" Shirley asked aloud.

Nina stared at her as though she had grown two heads. "You mean...you don't know, Shirley? Nunnally...is a princess. She's the 17th princess, Nunnally vi Britannia. She's Princess Euphemia's sister-"

"Half-sister, Nina. We don't have the same mother, but we both have the blood of Father flowing through our veins. As does my big brother. These men are here to protect me from assassins. Big Brother assigned them to keep watch over me." Nunnally said sweetly, but she did so with a calm air to her voice, as though this were nothing more ordinary than a sunny day.

Shirley couldn't find her voice for a moment. Her green orbs were filled with shock. So...the blind, wheelchair-bound, sweet little angel named Nana...was a Britannian princess? Why wasn't she living in a castle or a palace like Princess Euphemia or Princess Cornelia, then? Why was she here at an ordinary Britannian school? "Nana...why aren't you in a palace or in Britannia?" She asked softly.

Nunnally smiled sadly. A look of pain crossed her features. "Shirley...Japan is my home. I don't want to live in a stuffy palace. I just want to be here with my friends and that's all that matters to me!" She said, and smiled.

Shirley got the feeling that Nunnally had been holding something back. Just why was _she here? Why _did she speak of her own country in such a disparaging way? Had something happened to her and warped her feelings about Britannia? She couldn't imagine why being a princess would be a bad thing. She was privileged enough to live in a manner that most people would die for, and be waited on in everything. Her every command and words would be carefully obeyed and heeded by everyone. She was rich and influential, if not respected. What would make Nunnally hate that?

"Come on in, Shirley. Big Brother's coming on." Nunnally encouraged.

Shirley reluctantly came in and sat down beside Nunnally and Nina, who smiled shyly. She held Nunnally's hand. She looked up at the flat-screen TV and saw an ordinary newswoman reporting on the latest news on the Black Knights, Zero, and terrorists.

* * *

"...We're taking you live to the Special Administrated Zone of Japan, where her highness Princess Euphemia has made some shocking declarations. Her highness has recently given up her claim to the throne in a fit of madness. We believe Zero has brainwashed her to believe in his ideologies. She has said some rather startling things. We decided to interview His Highness Prince Lelouch on these matters."

A young Britannian reporter stuck a microphone in a familiar dark-haired teen's face. He had short black hair, striking purple eyes, and was lanky. He was dressed in royal clothing. He wore a long black cape over a jet-black suit that was decorated with gold adornments. He wore white gloves and fancy boots, as well. There seemed to be a different air that emanated from him now. He frowned.

"Well...my half-sister, Euphemia, can be _quite _rash and spontaneous at times. I do not think she _meant_ to say those sort of things about Britannia. She is, after all, a princess. However, she does have a point." He said thoughtfully.

Shirley looked at the prince in concern. Her eyes were filled with tears. "Lulu...why did you change?" She muttered.

Nina heard. "Shirley...you know he's on a different level of society now. You're a commoner." She said sympathetically. "There's someone I love but can't have. Can you imagine what that's like?" She said softly, folding her hands together.

"Is it a boy?" Shirley asked her friend, who shook her head. Her eyes widened. "Are you...perhaps?"

"Yes...I think I am in love with a girl. Princess Euphemia. It sounds silly, right?" Nina laughed nervously. There was a blush evident on her face.

Shirley shook her head. "No, love is love. Love can transcend anything, Nina. Follow your heart."

"Thank you, Shirley. You're a good friend." Nina said.

* * *

"_What do you mean by that, Your Highness?" The woman asked. _

_"Well, Britannia isn't perfect. Britannia has done a lot of terrible things...like treat the Elevens badly. Euphie has a pure heart and wants to help us Britannians mend our ways. However...we have to remember that...the Elevens are people, too." He mused. _

_The woman nearly dropped her microphone. "You have to be joking, Your Highness! To say something like that is just...unbelievable! Everyone knows the Elevens are not our equals! They are thieves and rogues..." She trailed off. _

_"Not all of them. Britannians can be just as bad as some Elevens. However, there are lots of good, law-abiding Elevens. Some are Honorary Britannians. Euphemia has one herself, remember? My half-sister's doing the best she can, and so am I." _

_The woman wrote this down furiously, and turned back to the screen with a shocked look on her face. "Well, that concludes our interview with Prince Lelouch. However, before we conclude tonight's footage, here's a shocking picture submitted by a loyal patron. It shows...His Highness and his lover?" _

Everyone gasped as a picture of Princess Euphemia and Lelouch together as children was shown on the screen. Both of them were happy to be with each other. Euphie was leaning against Lelouch and grinning. Lelouch was blushing and grinning nervously.

"_Could these two be lovers?" The woman asked. _

Shirley gasped. Her face was bright red. "How dare they treat Lulu like he's some kind of...object! Who do they think they are, barging into his private life?" She exclaimed. She was outraged.

The room went quiet. Kallen turned to look at her. "Why do you say that, Shirley?" She asked meekly.

"You don't understand? Lulu is not some tool...he's a human. Why do they point out his flaws to him like that?" Shirley shrieked.

"It's the way things are." Milly said sadly. "Honestly, he wasn't like that when I knew him as a kid."

"What? Madam President, you grew up with Lelouch?" Rivalz cried. "Why didn't I know that?"

"Lelouch wanted to keep it secret. That is true. I remember how Nana and Euphie chased him and made him play dress-up! He was such a sweet kid. He's changed a lot...it's almost like..."

"We don't know him anymore." Rivalz finished.

"He's a prince now." Kallen said, though none detected the hatred in her tone. Her fists tightened as she looked at the prince on the screen talking to his sister in the footage from the SAZ weeks ago. _I knew there was something odd about him. I should have killed him when he first talked to me. _

* * *

Lelouch sighed and gritted his teeth as he walked away from the journalists and their cameras. He was both embarrassed, irritated, and angry. He wondered who on earth had submitted that private picture of him and Euphie to the press. That was something no one should know.

"What kinds of scoundrels did something like that? That's what I'd like to know." He muttered angrily. It was definitely something someone would do in order to besmirch his reputation. Maybe it was a member of the court.

As he was heading back towards the palace, a green-haired girl tackled him from behind.

"Lulu! Where did you go? I was looking everywhere!" It squealed.

Lelouch resisted the urge to geass her. "Nonnette, leave me alone. I am not your plaything." He groaned, and struggled against her death hug.

"Relax, Your Highness. Nonnette tends to get excited." Gino said, coming up to Lelouch. He smiled broadly at him. It was a relaxed kind of smile.

Lelouch managed to slip out of the crazy woman's grasp, and smiled back. "Why are you guys following me?" He asked warily.

"We were asked to." Anya said simply.

"Who told you to?" Lelouch demanded. When he got no response, he activated his geass. "Tell me who sent you!" He ordered, and his geass went into Gino's eye.

"His Majesty told us to, and also...His Highness Schneizel." He said in a dead tone.

"That's top-secret info, Weiner! Don't divulge things little Lulu shouldn't hear!" Nonnette scolded.

"Anything else you wanted to know?" Gino asked.

"Why would Schneizel want to spy on me?"

Gino shook his head, and then the geass faded out of his eye. "What were we talking about just now?"

"Never mind." Lelouch said. On the outside, he retained his calm demeanor, but on the inside his mind was racing, struggling to figure out how or why Schneizel had been spying on him. Did he suspect him of being Zero, or having Geass? Schneizel was the one enemy Lelouch couldn't beat in chess, so he must make the first move before Schneizel.

* * *

Bismarck's eyes widened upon watching the Eleventh Prince talking to Gino. He had seen a _very familiar _black crane form in the Prince's eye. He had geass. Bismarck wasn't surprised, since Lady Marianne had possessed one, too. He wondered who had given it to him. Well, he was becoming very interesting. Very interesting, indeed.

"Lady Marianne, your son is something else." Bismarck whispered.

"I'll say he is, for a commoner's brat!" Luciano exclaimed, stepping out from behind them. "I'm impressed with how you intimidated Weinerburger back there! How'd you do it?" He asked excitedly.

Lelouch stared at him coldly. "Did you call me a commoner?" He said.

"Yeah, because that's what you are. You're never gonna move up far into the ranks, kid. Even though you're a prince, you're the last one The Emperor wants to select."

"I really don't give a shit about what that bastard wants me to do." Lelouch hissed in hatred.

Gino stepped back, stunned. "I didn't know you felt that way towards the Emperor. It must be due to Zero, huh? Poor guy." He muttered, and cast Lelouch a sympathetic glance.

"Wow, you've got quite a tongue, eh, kid? Well, let me tell you something. I'm not the kind of guy you wanna mess with, so keep your mouth shut." Luciano warned, pulling out a knife.

Lelouch froze. Before he could do anything, Luciano charged at him.

However, Bismarck stopped him. "Bradley, do not hurt the Prince. Whether he has commoner blood or not is irrelevant. He is the son of the great Marianne the Flash, and as such shall be treated with respect!" He said.

Lelouch smirked broadly. He couldn't wait to challenge Luciano as Zero and humiliate him the way he had just done. Oh, if he could enslave half of his siblings...life would be glorious.

"I ain't treating that whore with respect, and especially not her bastard son! He's foul blood, that's what my dad told me." Luciano spat.

SLAP!

Luciano stepped back. "Who hit me?" He muttered. He whirled around to see a girl with pink hair standing there, casting a reproachful stare at him. "Who the hell are you, you bitch? You can't hit someone like me-"

SLAP!

He was smacked yet again by the girl, who removed her sunglasses to reveal lavender eyes that were cold. "Don't you _ever _insult Lelouch like that again. If my Father hears of this, he could have you executed, you know." Euphie scolded. Her tone was more like Cornelia's: authoritative.

Luciano flinched. "I won't have you telling me what to do!" He hissed.

"Shut up, and leave us alone!" Lelouch hissed.

Luciano cast a withering stare at the two of them and walked away. "This isn't over, Prince Half-blooded mongrel." He snapped.

"What's his problem?" Euphie huffed. "Are you okay, Lelouch?"

"I'm fine, Euphie."

"It has been a while, My lady." Bismarck said, bowing to her.

"Hello, Lord Bismarck." Euphemia said politely.


	12. Chapter 12 Complications

**A/N:It's about time this story got updated! Prepare to see some new plot twists! I've been watching Gundam Seed lately, and it inspired me to update. **

**Chapter 12 Complications **

* * *

Cornelia li Britannia, the current Viceroy of Area 11 emitted a frustrated sigh as she stared at the pile of papers stacked up menacingly in front of her. Each kept on printing the same thing over and over: more Elevens signing up to become part of the "Special Administrative Zone of Japan". There were literally thousands and thousands of them on her desk now, and each day, more of these letters came into her office. So instead of weeding out the Eleven terrorists like she ought to be doing, she was stuck allowing all these disgusting people to colonize in one area?

She frowned. This was all Euphemia's fault. Euphemia was a nice, charming girl, but she was just too spoiled and naive to really be a princess; nor would she ever really understand the way the world worked. Not all of these "Numbers" would automatically get along with Britannians simply because they were given the right back to be called by their names. It was something that even the stupidest person would understand: Britannia was not well-liked in the world. Most of the Royal Family seemed to understand that, and dealt with it.

Some, like her father, Charles, forced change upon other nations by mobilizing armies and invading them for little reason. She disagreed with this rather barbaric idea of forming colonies, but she never really bothered to protest because he was the _Emperor _of all people. The Emperor was not someone you wanted to offend. _Unless your name happens to be Lelouch vi Britannia..._

The purple-haired princess pulled down a stack of the offending papers and got a very unfamiliar object; a pen, and started reluctantly signing them. It wasn't like she hated her sister Euphie; it's just that she found the idea rather unorthodox and heretical by Britannia's standards. No wonder her sister had gone mad and exiled herself. She wondered briefly whether her associations with that filthy boy; Kururugi Suzaku; had led to this scene of events. She smiled to herself, knowing that her suspicions were probably right. It was all that Eleven's fault; tainting her sister's pure mind with bad ideas.

No, Kururugi was not the one to blame here. It was probably Zero, the man who had tortured her beloved half-brother for years and had held him prisoner, who was to blame. She frowned then. Who was to blame, really? Euphemia had always been rebellious and critical when it came to Britannian authority and ways of life. She was the one who always asked why the Numbers were fit to be persecuted and looked down upon, when in her eye, she had always seen them as human beings.

It was for that pure and simple reason that Cornelia also longed to protect her dear sister Euphemia from the critical and judgmental eye of the outside world. As long as it took, she wanted to protect Euphemia from the harsh eyes of the Britannian court, who would no doubt scandalize her sister's pure heart, like they had done to everyone who stood in their way. However, she had failed her sister. Her sister had gone and exiled herself from Britannia, thanks to that stupid terrorist Zero.

Cornelia never once suspected that her sister had formed an alliance with Zero at all, but now that she thought back over her sister's behavior during the past few weeks, she realized that perhaps, she didn't know her sister as well as she thought she'd had. Her sister had mostly been raised under Cornelia's protective wing for most of her life, and suddenly here she was, at the tender age of sixteen, suddenly spreading her wings and making her own decisions. It was all very bewildering to the older sister. "Have I...raised her right?" She thought aloud.

As if someone had read her mind, the door opened to reveal her closest companion. A tall man with glasses and a red coat came in through the door, stopping a few times to rearrange his tie, before pausing to look at her. "Well, my lady. What's on your mind?"

Cornelia smiled softly. She would only save this kind of face for the likes of her sister Euphemia, her siblings Lelouch and Nunnally, and perhaps even Schneizel...it was her gentle, delicate face. A face that was not often seen that much on the "Witch of Britannia". "Gilford, my knight. I was wondering...about Euphemia. I sometimes wonder if I have done...my duty as an older sister right."

Gilford paused, as though he were recalling something. "My lady...of course you have raised her right. She has grown up to be a fine young woman, of course! Sometimes, you two may have disagreements, but you will always share a sisterly bond, and nothing can change that!"

Cornelia's violet eyes widened as she looked at her fine, regal knight, taking him in. "Gilford, I admire your attempts at making me feel better. However, just out of curiosity, do you have any siblings?"

Gilford's eyebrow arched ever so slightly as he collapsed in a chair beside Cornelia's desk. "Yes, I have a younger brother. He is much younger than I am, and the two of us tend to disagree every time we see each other. So much, that sometimes I just do not understand him that well."

"Really?" Cornelia asked, quirking an eyebrow at him. "You never struck me as the older brother type. Just now, though...you sounded like such an expert on siblings." Cornelia remarked sadly, staring at him in wonder. "Why would my sister go and exile herself?"

Gilford shook his head. "She's growing up and becoming a young woman now, my lady. It's only natural that she's going to start disagreeing with your ways of doing things, because that's what all children do as they get older. They all start to follow their own hearts and try to find their own path throughout life." He explained solemnly.

"I see. So, it's only natural that I believe that Euphemia is drifting away from me, each and every day? What about Lelouch? He, too, seems to have become so distant..." Cornelia's voice was a strained whisper, full of distress and agony. "Even I don't understand that boy...he's so much like our father." She whispered.

Gilford remained silent, and just nodded reassuringly. His presence was in itself a comforting factor, since he seemed to know when she needed to be with others, or when she needed to be left alone.

"I'd like it if you went now, Gilford." Cornelia whispered softly. The mask of the Third Princess of The Britannian Empire; Cornelia li Britannia was now in place, and there was no room for emotions in Britannia. All of the nobles in Britannia wore masks. That was simply how their world worked.

She heard the door close softly behind him, and she cast one last glance at the slips of paper for the Special Administrated Zone of Japan, before her eyes narrowed. She picked up one of the pieces of paper and threw it into the open fire, watching in fury as it burned. "Sorry, Euphemia, but I'm afraid I still don't want those vermin living on the same land I live in." She muttered harshly.

Cornelia li Britannia was not yet ready to invite Elevens into her world. That was not a given. She simply didn't like the idea of those filthy, depraved monkeys sharing the same office with her. She was not about to let her sister Euphemia hear that, however. She would simply keep that sentiment locked away, deep within her heart, and allow that emotion to slumber, until the time was right to express it.

"Something has to be done about this whole fiasco, before it's too late." She whispered to herself.

* * *

The sunlight came in through the windows of the apartment, causing its occupant to flinch. The occupant groaned at the sight of the bright sun and rolled her covers on back over her lithe frame. She was not currently in the mood to wake up and play outside.

One golden eye opened lazily before the figure sat up and stretched, her long, silver hair falling in her eyes before she brushed her hair aside. The woman was now awake and reluctantly, she gave in to the urge to get up, and heaved herself out.

"I wonder what Ohgi's up to." She mused lazily. The silver-haired woman sighed and turned off her alarm, before turning her attention to the window outside. Sure enough, a whole family of sparrows were outside on a tree branch, happily chirping at the sight of the sun. The sight made a light smile crease her face.

A thoughtful smile crossed her intelligent, dark-skinned face before vanishing. She whipped away from the window and crept down the hall, before making her way to the kitchen. "It must be here somewhere..." She muttered to herself, golden eyes scouring every nook and cranny in the kitchen for where the hiding place of her mysterious item could be. "I think it's...right here!"

She exclaimed in delight as she brought out a crumbled-up bag filled with little pieces of...bread. "They'll have quite a picnic, I gather." She remarked to herself as she opened the bag and studied the amount of crumbs left before sighing and opening her door. She tossed out a few pieces of bread and watched as the excited birds came flying down to claim their prize.

The woman smiled pleasantly upon seeing that the sparrows were all delighted at her gift. "It looks like I'm popular even in the bird community." She joked. This woman was called Villetta Nu; however she had acquired amnesia and was known as Chigusa. She did not remember that she was a Britannian soldier, or a member of the Pure-bloods. Here, she was merely a woman.

Chigusa smiled faintly upon seeing the portrait of her boyfriend with another girl; a girl with spiky red hair. She had such brilliant blue eyes full of vigor and youth...but also seemed to be filled with happiness. "I wonder who she is..."

She mused over it briefly before shrugging. Then, the phone rang, and she was surprised by who answered on the other line. "Hello? Oh, Ohgi?"

"_Chigusa. I was wondering, there's something you must know. I'm not a teacher, in fact...I work for the Black Knights." He confessed. "It's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while." _

Chigusa's jaw dropped slightly before a kind smile made its way onto her face. "That's all right. Zero is a hero, isn't he? He supports the Special Zone, after all." She replied, not even noticing the worried tone that her boyfriend had.

"_...I suppose he is. Lately, I've been having doubts about Zero. Is that natural?" _

Chigusa frowned. "I'm probably not the person to tell you this, but maybe you should talk to Zero about it. Everyone has doubts, you know. I would like to join the Special Zone of Japan as well."

"_Why? It's sponsored by Britannia." _

Chigusa sighed. "There, it won't matter who's a Britannian or who's a Number."

There was silence over the line for several minutes. Then, Chigusa spoke. "Who's the girl in the picture with you?"

"_A friend's sister. She used to live near us, but then she moved away. My friend died a while ago, so I haven't seen her since." _

Chigusa thought that perhaps he was lying to her. Why would he, though?

Ohgi hung up and sighed. "She took that rather _well_." He said to himself. _Why did I lie about Kallen to her, though? It's not like I suspect her or anything, right? _

He blushed upon thinking of her worried face. "I shouldn't worry her so much. I just need to talk to Zero. I can't erase these doubts I've been having."

* * *

Euphemia was also not content, either. She had been receiving more applications for the SAZ, which was a good thing. But she had also been receiving several complaints from the Japanese about...disease. It startled her. How could this happen? She thought that the Japanese would all be safe and secure.

She frowned to herself as she wondered over how Cornelia was doing. The pinkette had tried various times to contact her sister and Suzaku, but both seemed to be unavailable. She wondered why. Surely, Suzaku should be by her side at all times.

She turned to a guard. "Can you bring me my knight?"

The guard bowed, and said, "Yes, your highness."

A few seconds later, Suzaku Kururugi showed up, looking rather pale and wan.

"What's the matter, Suzaku?" She asked.

"...It's Lelouch. He's been attacked by the Black Knights." Suzaku exclaimed.

Euphemia's eyes widened, and she dropped the stack of papers she had been holding. "What? How could that have happened?" She asked, feigning stupidity. She knew it was part of Lelouch's plan, but she had to go along with it.

"I don't know. I just received feed from Zero, and he has Lelouch!"


	13. Chapter 13 Derailment

**A/N:Hello, this is everyone's favorite author, Kamen! I'm back with another new chapter. **

**Chapter 13 Derailment **

* * *

"What did you say?" Euphemia li Britannia exclaimed, staring at her knight with wide eyes. She was unable to make sense of what he had just declared to her. The two phrases together meant two contradictory things had happened. Lelouch vi Britannia was Zero, and Zero was Lelouch, so how the heck could she believe that Lelouch had taken himself hostage? Unless of course, someone was impersonating Zero. That made a little more sense, her mind reasoned.

"I said, Your Highness, that Lelouch has been captured by Zero! How much clearer can I make it!" He cried in distress. Evidently, he was worried, since Lelouch _was _his old friend and all, Euphie figured he must be extremely worried about him as well. It only made sense, seeing how close they were with one another. Although, if Suzaku ever did happen to discover that Lelouch was Zero, there were would be some issues there to resolve, Euphemia decided.

The first thing to do, she decided, was to figure out whether this was genuine or one of Lelouch's little strategic mind-games he usually pulled over on people. At first glance, it seemed to be genuine; after all Zero was a terrorist with a grudge against Britannia, it would only stand to reason that he would try to destroy his enemies which included Britannia's royal family.

However, since she knew that Lelouch and Zero were one in the same, that put many stupendous holes in that theory the second she thought over it. The more she looked at this, the more it seemed like one of Lelouch's little tricks he would play on people. Hadn't he done things like this before in the past when he would battle against Schneizel or Sister Cornelia in chess? Didn't he teach Euphemia about the value of sacrificing a pawn a long time ago, or had she not been paying attention at the time? Maybe she ought to have noticed the warning signs seven years ago, and tried to prevent Lelouch from challenging their father-but she hadn't.

All she had seen was the same, cheerful, friendly half-brother that she had always known-and loved. Was that all a lie, though? Was he actually not that friendly, but rather a cold, heartless man like their brother Schneizel? Some days, she wondered if this was true. Could her brother really pull off a stunt like this, and if he intended to do this, what was he after? Could it really be that he intended to...destroy her popularity and her reputation in one fell swoop? If Zero broke the promise of fellowship between Japan and Britannia and captured one of their princes, then Britannia could easily declare war on them again, and was that what Lelouch was looking for? Was that truly his aim?

She shook her head frantically. She must not doubt in her half-brother for even one second. If she faltered in her trust in him, she may just lose him again-and that was something she _never_ wanted to experience again. She had already lost him once-seven years ago, and she had endured that loss for a long time, and had convinced herself that he was dead and only a memory in her heart-at least, until she met Zero. That meeting with him only increased her suspicions about Zero, but she was delighted to find her brother, alive and well-until she had learned _what he had become. _Her brother was a terrorist-like it or not, he was Zero now as well as Lelouch vi Britannia-and Zero was known to trust no one. Why else would Zero wear a mask unless he didn't trust anyone in the world?

* * *

"Suzaku...bring me my sister at once." Euphemia commanded, but whenever her knight didn't move a muscle from where he was at, her eyes narrowed. "Suzaku...I said..."

"I would if I could, your Highness...but you are no longer a princess, so I can't force anyone to come anymore because you said so." Suzaku repeated again. The same tiresome phrase that she hated to hear. Inwardly, she knew he was angry at her. Angry for putting aside her world in exchange for trying to see life from Lelouch's viewpoint, angry at her allying with a terrorist he didn't like, and angry with her for even bargaining with the man. What if she told him the truth?

More than likely, Suzaku would never be able to forgive her half-brother for going against the throne but Euphemia disliked that idea. Did he forget that Lelouch had _returned _to royalty, of his own volition? That meant that he was not entirely their enemy...didn't it?

"Princess...I wish for something else. I wish to call you only Euphemia." Suzaku confessed, feeling a blush creep up his cheeks. Did he honestly wish to offend a Britannian princess? If it were Cornelia, she would most likely have attacked him with a lecture and a warning to knock it off by pretending that he was equal to them. But Euphie was different. She was so different from the average Britannian girl that it wasn't funny. She was warm, sweet, and kind towards him, even though he had abandoned his country when it had needed him most, had killed his father, and also he had even disobeyed orders! Not to mention the fact that he was an Eleven and she a Britannian. They shouldn't be doing this.

Euphemia's eyes widened momentarily. "Suzaku...are you angry with me? You can say it if you need to." She replied softly. The princess didn't know what she should do. Were Lelouch's intentions good and true, or was he being purely selfish for his own gain? She felt confused, conflicted. She remembered a phrase that Lelouch had said to her when she was younger.

* * *

"_Don't ever trust anyone in this family, Euphemia. They'll only tear you apart from the inside like hungry wolves and won't stop until there's nothing left. Even then, they never truly love you. They only love you for what you can DO for them. There's no love in this family. It's all a sick joke." _

She had always decided that he was wrong, and she had firmly believed that Brother Schneizel and Sister Cornelia were right in deciding what she should do, and that they truly wanted what was best for her. She had believed until recently that they had actually loved her. But ever since she had established the Special Zone of Japan, her sister had practically shunned her and had ignored her every attempt to contact her. She had tried to call her but had only gotten her voice machine, or else Gilford would answer and tell her some excuse; and say that her sister was too busy to come see her. But she knew the truth now, as much as she hated to admit it.

This idea of hers was a good thing in theory, but it was a bad thing for her to do, because now she knew the bitter truth. Her family didn't give a rat's ass about her, and even Cornelia had refused to acknowledge her ever since she had done this, and had disowned herself. Would she rather deal with the harsh reality of things, like Lelouch had suggested to her all along-or should she live in a fantasy land all her life, and believe in falsehoods and wishful thinking?

"Euphie...I need to know. We should rescue Lelouch, shouldn't we?"

Euphemia stared at him like he was stupid. "You fool. Of course we should. He's my brother, for God's sake!"

Suzaku flinched, like he'd been struck in the face by her words. "Euphie...you've changed so much ever since you started hanging around Zero."

"I have no power anymore. I'm without power..." She muttered.

"Are you all right, Euphie?" She uttered.

"I'm a pawn." She whispered. Suzaku stared at her like she was mad.

"What?"

"I said, I'm a pawn, Suzaku. Have I ever been of any value to anyone? I used to think...that Cornelia and Schneizel truly, truly cared about me. But now...they haven't talked to me since I made the Zone of Japan. Did I truly do the right thing, Suzaku? The Black Knights don't seem to like me very much, and I don't know if I really matter to anyone anymore..." She trailed off, and there were tears in her eyes.

* * *

Suzaku had _never_ seen her like this before. The Euphie he knew was proud, regal, and strong, always standing up for what she believed in and never being afraid of anything. So why did it hurt so much to see her broken-down and crying like this? She wasn't the same anymore. It felt like every day, she was becoming a complete stranger.

"I will be forever loyal to you." He declared, getting down on his knees and bowing in front of her. "You know that you are amazing, Euphie. You are the best girl I have ever met, and you've changed my life in so many ways...I don't know how I can ever repay you..."

"Suzaku...I-" Before Euphie could finish, suddenly someone cut in.

* * *

"Aw, how touching. Look at the two lovebirds gabbing on and on. Isn't that just the greatest _thing _ever, Brother Cassius?" A very snooty and familiar voice uttered.

Euphemia turned around only to pale upon seeing a familiar redheaded girl standing there, her blue eyes filled with malice. There was a nasty smile curled on her face as she smirked at them both.

"Hello, dear sister. It's been a while." Euphemia responded coldly, trying to act how she imagined Lelouch acting towards this little hellion of her sister. She had never liked Carline to begin with, and the fact that she was here now could only mean trouble.

"Father is not very pleased with your actions, Bubblegum-head. You should have known better than to go against Britannia, because now many of the noble families are quite angry with you and your sister. It's all your fault, for being an Eleven lover and thinking you can change the rules. Well, guess what? You're wrong." Carline spat.

"Why don't you shut up and get the hell out of here!" Euphemia screamed.

Carline flinched a little at the anger in her voice. "My, my, aren't we taking after little Lelouch? I heard he got abducted by Zero? He's always been a little weakling, so I highly doubt seven years apart from us made him any different-"

Suzaku couldn't take any more of her hate talk at that point, and smacked her right in the face. "Don't you _ever _insult Lelouch in front of me. Stop mistreating Euphie this instant, and get out of here. I am her knight, and if you give her a hard time, you'll be dealing with me." He growled.

"Ooh, I'm so scared. I'm not afraid of a dumb Eleven who can't even think for himself. Tell me, do you know that if you lay a hand on a Britannian, you'll be charged with treason? Especially a Britannian princess like me." She retorted.

"Yes, that's right." Cassius Le Britannia uttered. "In fact, we were the ones who suggested that your precious brother get kidnapped. All we had to do was spin a little fable to the "people" of Japan, and the little monkeys believed it."

"You did this?" Suzaku growled. "How dare you!"

"Suzaku, you can't touch them. They're royalty." Euphie replied softly.

"That's right! No one can touch me!" Carline spat, and then she spat saliva right in Suzaku's face and laughed mockingly. Cassius started laughing loudly as well.

* * *

"I think you two morons should shut up, if you know what's good for you. That's what all you Britannian bastards are like, isn't it? You pretend to care about each other, and then you show your true colors by picking on your own kind who are different from each other! No wonder Lelouch got exiled, I bet he couldn't stand being around a bunch of disgusting racist pigs like you idiots." A female voice said menacingly.

Euphemia and Suzaku spotted a girl with spiky red hair standing there, her face covered by a mask. Her fists were tightening ever so slightly.

"You're...the one from the island." Suzaku remarked. "K-Kallen?"

"Who the hell are you to boss us around?" Cassius snapped, storming up to Kallen. "You sure are a fine-looking lady. Perhaps I should teach you the mores and ways of respecting your elders."

The only answer he got was a slug in the face from Kallen, which sent him flying down to the ground. Kallen then lay into him and started punching him over and over while Carline and Euphie watched in horror, both too terrified to do anything at the moment.

"Stop it, you dumb Eleven!" Carline protested.

"Shut the hell up, you foul, wretched, loathsome evil little cockroach!" Kallen hissed. "In case you think you can pull something over on me, I brought a few allies with me."

Ohgi, Tohdoh, Chiba, and a bunch of other Black Knights stormed in, glaring viciously at the two Britannian siblings. Evidently, they weren't too pleased with the current situation.

Carline helped Cassius to his feet, who now had several bruises forming on his face and a black eye. "You won't get away with this! We'll remember this!" She declared before running out the door.

* * *

Euphemia bowed to the Black Knight officers. "Thank you so much for protecting me. But what of my brother?"

Ohgi looked serious then. "Your brother is fine. Zero suspects he may have been working against him, and that's why he has been taken prisoner."

* * *

Zero was currently interrogating his "prisoner." Lelouch sat, tied up in a chair, with a black eye and bruises. One would have to look closely at him to realize that they were all fake wounds done by the miraculous powers of make-up.

"So, how much longer are you going to keep up the charade? You know full well that sooner or later, everyone will figure out who you are." "Zero" replied, before pulling off the mask to reveal C.C underneath.

Lelouch rolled his eyes. "Don't worry about it. The nobles don't suspect a thing. Schneizel might suspect a thing or two, but I think I'm safe...for now, anyway."

"We'll see about that." C.C. responded, before putting on the mask again and walking away.

"Lelouch...you are a fool."

* * *

Schneizel sat in his office. "Lelouch...are you truly...Zero?"


	14. Chapter 14 Caught in the Act

**A/N:Here I am, again! I can grant your wishes if you so choose. Though they might not always come true...The title usually means something interesting will happen. **

**Chapter 14 Caught in the Act **

* * *

Bismarck Waldstein sat in his library, poring over old photo albums of his youth. He gazed over each of them fondly, and smiled at the warm memories of the people he knew and loved staring up at him. Even though some of them were long gone, like Lady Marianne, he still treasured their memory dearly. Some were thought to be dead, but were alive, like Prince Lelouch.

He didn't know whether to be happy or afraid over the fact that the boy of the woman he'd admired was still alive. He evidently hated his father, which was not hard to tell by the way he'd avoided all contact with him or his family members. Prince Lelouch's bad blood with the Emperor was pretty much public knowledge by now. What was not as detectable however, were his hatred of all nobles.

Prince Lelouch was a confusing and complex young man. He remembered the first time he had laid eyes on the boy. He was probably around five or six and he was trying to play chess with his mother. He had nearly beaten her, but Clovis came with her and tried to play again as well, and lost. Years later, at age eight, he managed to defeat Clovis, Cornelia, and almost won against Schneizel. Almost was the key term. It seemed that Prince Schneizel was really the boy's only enemy-aside from the Emperor, of course. It occurred to Bismarck then that the boy was a genius.

A natural-born genius was hard to come across, but Lelouch vi Britannia was definitely the epitome of the word. He was precocious and intelligent for his age, even more so than some people half his age. He had had difficulty with his tutors because he would always act bored and uninterested and then concoct some excuse as to why he didn't like their lesson plan. Bismarck had laughed upon seeing the young prince fighting with Nunnally shortly after the latter had snitched on him and gotten his mother to spank him hard upside the head.

The young prince was undeniably fond of his sister, Nunnally, and of his other sister Euphemia. He knew this to be true even today, because the latter spoke at length about his sister to anyone who cared enough to listen. The prince seemed to have changed in some aspects, though. He seemed to be more ruthless, more charismatic, and more manipulative. It reminded Bismarck a lot of the Emperor of Britannia, because the very man he was most devoted to was like that-volatile and constantly changing in mood. One day, he might like you, the next he could fire you for some trivial incident that you never thought you'd get caught red-handed with.

It was like the man had eyes on the back of his head or something. Bismarck knew about his geass, of course-since he had geass as well, thanks to V.V. However, he did not support their true intentions or their foolish plan to change the world by killing the gods. He considered that plan to be full of holes and insane. Many people who had tried to change the world had ended up insane, and that was not a path that he wished to embark upon, if only for his own good.

All those idealistic fools who wished to change the world had gone insane because their own lust for goodness caused them to commit acts most heinous that even the most evil man would flinch at. He hated that kind of innocent thinking so much, yet he saw it all the time in all the men he worked with. He just learned to put up with their stupidity. After a while, he got used to it.

That is, until he met Nonnette. She had immediately refreshed his world with her frivolous and talkative nature. She had a very optimistic-if not naive view of the world-much like a certain princess, but she had a kind heart and could be tough if the situation turned harsh. He admired her for her bravery and valiant nature in battle. She was truly a Knight of the Round.

He wondered if Lelouch, the young prince, could ever learn to love his father and the rest of the Royal Family. If it could ever be done, could he be the one to give the prince his heart back? Would he be the one to help instill a sense of trust in the young prince's closed-off heart, which had long ago closed itself off completely to the world and open up his eyes to the fact that not all of the Britannian Royal Family was out to get him? He doubted that he had the power to do that, but he knew someone who could definitely try, and without a doubt, that was..._her. _

Princess Euphemia was probably one of the only members of the royal family that Prince Lelouch even trusted, besides his sister Nunnally. He was more wary of Princess Cornelia and Prince Schneizel, but still acted considerately toward them. Prince Odysseus treated them kindly, but he was as dumb as a stump and considerably useless when it came to political matters. There were even discussions underway, Bismarck had heard from his mother Arianna eu Britannia (currently the most powerful woman in the Royal Family) to get him married off to the young empress Tianzi of the Chinese Federation.

However, Prince Schneizel had expressed doubts about that situation, because as he had told all of the Knights of the Round that the Chinese Federation was really not to be trusted in this kind of thing, since they were known for chronic backstabbing disorder. He had also brought up another thing that also suffered from chronic backstabbing disorder, and that was her Highness Euphemia's knight, the Eleven Kururugi Suzaku. He had explained that Suzaku had a bad history with Britannia, and as such he should not be trusted too much.

Many Britannian nobles adopted this viewpoint about him the second he was knighted by Euphemia, but Bismarck had not. He decided it was better to reserve judgment of the young Eleven until he actually saw him in combat and saw whether he was dedicated enough to Lady Euphemia to protect her from anything, even herself.

Especially that foul terrorist Zero. He hated Zero with a deep passion, and believed that Zero was not trustworthy at all and that he would only cooperate with Lady Euphemia for a while and then turn the Specially Administrative Zone and those in it into his pawns, which he could use to threaten Britannia with. Then he could only predict what would happen then. The Zone would possibly fall apart and with it Euphemia's support from the Japanese people.

* * *

As he thought these things over, suddenly a hand grabbed him from behind and spun him around. He sighed and he didn't even have to guess as to who it could be. A familiar blond-haired boy smiled at him. "Weinburg...what are you doing here?"

"Watching you mope around, Mr. Bismarck. You need to cheer up some. Just because Zero is around a princess like Euphemia doesn't mean everyone should be so worked up! You need to learn to lighten up, just like me and Anya here! Right, Anya?" Gino added, pointing at a familiar pinkette, but then he frowned upon seeing no sign of the pink-haired girl.

"Where is Ms. Alstreim?" Bismarck asked in concern.

"I'm over here." She said in a flat tone. She was busy snapping pictures of Bismarck's photo album with her cell phone...then she stopped. "I have this same picture." She said, before pulling out a photo out of his scrapbook and holding it up.

"Don't touch things like that." Bismarck scolded gently. His eyes widened upon seeing that it was a picture of a young Prince Lelouch standing in the Aries Villa with a wreath of flowers around his head. "How did you-"

"I have a picture of him on here as well." She added, before turning on her cell phone and showing him the photo gallery. "I've never known him as a child, though. He's older than I am, so I would be pretty young if I met him, right?" She added tonelessly.

There was something unusual about this child, Bismarck thought. She seemed awfully precocious for her age and sometimes she didn't even act like herself. She also complained of having memory loss from time to time and that was why she took so many pictures: in order to have some record of something, something that would ensure that she was still mentally sane. She was always terrified of never being able to remember things.

"I suppose...but if you're here, where are the rest of them? Luciano?"

"He said he had something..._important _to do. He was going to visit someone, he said." Gino replied with raised eyebrows.

Bismarck flinched. "I hope he's not going to...you know how he gets when he's been scorned, right?"

* * *

"There's a reason why he's called the Vampire of Britannia. And he doesn't sparkle, either. That would be stupid and unnecessary for vampies to sparkle like a gem!" Nonnette cried, suddenly appearing from the doorway.

"Where have you been?" Anya asked dully.

"Out somewhere with Prince Schneizel, gathering information...on Zero. Not that there is much...the man certainly is good at covering his tracks. That's one thing I can compliment him for is not being an easy villain. Later on, I'm going to go see Lulu!"

"Nonnette...remember, Prince Lelouch is being held captive by Zero." Gino said sharply. "Don't go waltzing in there and making a fool of yourself, because then you could get us kill-"

He stopped upon noticing Nonnette's huge rifle pointed right at his head. "...Do you think I would fool around, Mr. Weinburg?" She responded coldly. "Of course I have a weapon on me at all times! I'm always ready for battle at any time!"

Bismarck hit his forehead. "Then where are the Knightmare Frames?"

Nonnette blinked momentarily. "What?"

"_You know, the things we need_ so we can battle the Black Knights." Gino admonished.

"Oh, sorry. It must have slipped my mind. I think I left them in a special place...with a very interesting man who will keep them safe for us. Besides, we can't just go traipsing in the place where he's being held, because there are civilians there, and we're not allowed to bear arms in the Zone of Japan, remember?" Nonnette said.

"That is a problem." Anya responded, and then she pouted. "I won't be able to use my Mordred this time around..."

"We have other ways of freeing Prince Lelouch, Nonnette. If it comes down to it, we will all have to...bargain with terrorists. As harsh as that sounds, we will try our best for Prince Lelouch's sake." Bismarck responded.

* * *

Shirley Fenette stared at the handwritten note the receptionist had just handed her. "Are you sure you don't know who it's from?" She asked.

"The person who delivered this said someone asked him to give this to you. Am I supposed to keep a tabs on who sends everything around here?" She remarked sarcastically, causing the girl to bristle.

"Hey, I was being curious! I don't like being called out by random strangers!" Shirley protested. There was something strange about this note, but she had more important things to do than go meet someone somewhere. She had to go see Prince Lelouch and ask him some things having to do with a note she found stashed in a drawer.

"If you want to argue with someone, argue with the school principal if you want, missy!" She yelled.

Shirley flinched and strode out of the office, only to bump into a boy with blond hair. "Sorry, sir. I'll watch where I'm going."

* * *

"Damned right you will, girl. That is, as long as you see my face around here. Are you Shirley Fenette?" The boy hissed in her ear, staring at her with piercing red eyes that were full of bloodlust.

Shirley shivered. "Y-Yes. What do you want from me? Money? My body?"

"Something more interesting than that. What I want is..._revenge! _I heard that you were Prince Lelouch's girl back when he attended this school, and you two were going steady for a while. Is that right?" He whispered.

"N-No, I don't even know him!" Shirley cried.

"Liar." He hissed, and then he escorted her outside and whipped out a shiny silver metal blade and held it against her throat. "You tell the truth now, wench, before I decide to cut your throat here and now. Either you tell me what I want to know or else you die."

"Why do you want me?" Shirley screamed, desperately looking around for someone, anyone to help her. Nina wasn't around. Rivalz was probably off at work and wouldn't notice her absence. Kallen was gone and so was Madam Prez. What about that girl Nana? She was blind, wasn't she? But she was really keen with her hearing. Perhaps if she screamed loud enough, Nana would hear her. They were getting closer to the clubhouse now that he was forcing her to walk ahead of him, his knife pressed at her back.

"May I ask you one question?" Shirley asked.

"What is it?" He asked in annoyance.

"Who are you? I mean, what's your name?" She asked stupidly.

A smirk made its way on the boy's face. An evil one. "Luciano. Luciano Bradley. They call me the "Vampire of Britannia," Ms. Fenette. Do you know why?"

"You suck blood?" Shirley asked.

"Wrong. I _kill _for fun. I love killing anything and anyone. Whether it be insects, birds, dogs, or fish, or even a child, I love killing things! The way they struggle and plead for mercy and how they go limp in my arms is just to die for!" Luciano ranted madly.

Shirley started praying that someone, anyone would help her. But no one would listen. Then she remembered: she was under Nunnally's window. She opened her mouth and screamed at the top of her lungs: "HELP ME!"

She had thought ahead, however. She had learned a little Japanese from her father, and she used the Japanese word for help me when she had screamed. He wouldn't be able to understand what she said, so there was an advantage right there. If he honestly thought that she was dumb as a stump, well then he was wrong. She smirked slightly, only to wince as a harsh smack hit her in the face.

"Don't. ...Hussy." Luciano hissed. "Otherwise, I'll-"

* * *

"What exactly will you be doing?" A strange voice, almost robotic, asked. Luciano turned around and was startled to see Zero standing in front of him. Behind him were a few Black Knights. Zero held a gun in his left hand.

"Sending you to hell, you damned Eleven. You beat me to the punch by getting that filthy commoner prince first." Luciano hissed. "Make a move, Zero, and she dies." He said, pointing the knife directly at Shirley's throat.

Behind the mask, Lelouch glared at him hatefully. To think that he would sink to something this low...to harming one of his closest friends...and maybe even secret love. "You filthy _bastard. _Slime like you are the reasons why I despise Britannia so much. Your government is tainted by corruption and filth and it produces depraved and twisted souls such as yourself. Are you seriously choosing to make an enemy of Zero? I believe it is _I _who has all the pieces on the board right now, Mr. Vampire. Make a move, and _you, _my good friend, will die." He said simply, pointing to his Black Knights. Behind him were Ohgi and Kallen, both of them with guns at the ready.

"Put her down, you asshole." Kallen hissed. "Or else..."

"Who's the lovely babe there? Perhaps I could take you out on a date, little lady? Only after I've disciplined you a little bit, of course."

* * *

Lelouch decided it was now or never. The window in the helmet slid open to reveal his left eye. "You're tired of living your life now, aren't you? Why don't you simply go and..._die?" _

The geass went into Luciano's eyes, who stiffened slightly before a wide grin made its way on his face. "Of course I should. Ciao, all!" He cried, before putting the knife against his own throat, and slicing it open. Blood got on Shirley's face as Luciano choked on his own blood and fell to the ground, dead.

There was silence between all three of them.

"Well, I suppose we've taken care of him, haven't we, Q1?"

Ohgi and Kallen were silent for a moment, then they spoke.

"What the hell did you do just now with your eye, Zero?"

Lelouch's eyes widened. _They saw my Geass! That's not good..._

* * *

"Tell us. How much have you been hiding from _us_, Zero?" Kallen remarked suspiciously.

**A/N:What man is probably going to be the one who takes care of Nonnette's Knightmare Frames? Any guesses are deeply appreciated. I appreciate all of you devoted readers sticking with me to the very end. **


	15. Chapter 15 Descent into Hell

**A/N:Hey, here's the next update! The answer to last update's question is here, in this chapter, so pay close attention! BTW TOONAMI IS BACK! Just thought I'd throw that out there to everyone! Too bad they don't have Code Geass on the lineup!**

**Chapter 15 Descent into Hell**

* * *

"Oh, boy, things are getting mighty interesting around here, don't you think?" A cheery voice exclaimed. If one took a good glance at this person, they would never think that of all people possible, that someone like this man would hold such an influential position in such a competitive family. However, the first Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Odysseus Eu Britannia, supposed that maybe people were just people, and no matter who he tried to be, he couldn't please everybody.

Being the first prince of the Holy Britannian Empire was a very important position, because it meant the entire world was watching him, not just his mother and father and Euphemia and Carline and Cassius and every other one of his hundreds of siblings and half-siblings. He also had a big burden on his shoulders-the ability to ascend the throne if His Highness Charles somehow died. However, there was just one problem with that theory, and that had to do with his intelligence.

Odysseus was not like his half-brother Schneizel or Lelouch when it came to intelligence-he simply was just average; he didn't have the charm and appeal that Euphemia, Guinevere, and Schneizel seemed to possess so well, too. He was too bland for the camera. He didn't possess any kind of ability to lie to the camera or to even show a fake smile; the reporters disliked him for that reason, and his worst flaw...was that he was too _nice. _

He was too nice and naive and a doormat for other people to wipe their feet on as they would use him for various purposes. Odysseus never questioned people or their motives. Generally, he tended to look on the brighter side of the world and all the positive aspects that came with being a prince. Naturally, this caused snooty, arrogant people like Guinevere and Cassius to look down on him and treat him like dirt. He was also too apolitical and bland for the media's taste.

His position was worthless in the family, but as a pawn he was quite useful, Schneizel had admitted to him over a nice game of chess. Schneizel tended to be quite blunt about things most people wouldn't be. This either made Schneizel very well-liked or hated. He knew that one person and one person only despised Schneizel and was not afraid to let the world know it, and that person was his half-brother, Lelouch vi Britannia. Lelouch was quite a nice young man, Odysseus thought, but something seemed to have changed in the years since then.

He seemed more angry and less friendly than many years before. He wondered where his younger brother was at now because he didn't see him around anywhere. His younger brother had become a recluse who hardly ever talked to anyone besides his younger sister, Euphemia, and Nunnally. Those two really were quite close, weren't they?

"Your Highness, Prince Schneizel would like to speak with you about possible arrangements for a marriage to the Empress of China." A servant said, coming up towards the orange-haired prince as he sat at his throne busy looking over complaints that various nobles had written about the Elevens and how much they hated them. These kinds of reports just irked Odysseus to the core.

_They're making me do a political marriage? This sounds interesting..._

He smiled a little as he put the phone to his ear. Schneizel had some explaining to do here because Odysseus wasn't sure that he'd even agreed to something like this in the first place.

* * *

Cornelia li Britannia sighed as she sat in the visitor's office for the Specially Administrated Zone. Euphemia had asked her to come here in order to discuss something extremely important and Cornelia always did whatever her little sister wanted (well, not always...that was an understatement.) Cornelia was just tired of Euphemia's rebellious nature and was going to use this time as an opportunity to chew her out over this stupid idea of hers.

If Euphie had come to her first with this ridiculous idea, she would have said no, but Cornelia was astonished at how dishonest her sister had been. Her sister had **intentionally **avoided speaking to her about this issue. Yes, the little girl who was incapable of telling a white lie to save her life had avoided mentioning this to her. Was this really her little sister? What had happened to her sweet and kind young sister who would always confide in her older sister about everything?

Her knight, Gilford was by her side as well, and the first person to greet them had been Suzaku Kururugi, Euphemia's knight. He led the two of them to a seat and smiled politely at them, though Cornelia knew something was up with the young knight. He hadn't really said much and from what she knew of him, he was a kind and cheerful fellow who liked talking a lot, so what could have happened to make him this quiet?

"Kururugi Suzaku, _what_ is going on here?" Cornelia demanded, the Viceroy glaring hard at this meager Eleven who had better not think about lying to a Princess and the Governor; or else he'd been sent to the fate that he rightfully deserved: an execution. Lying to a royal or insulting them was the worst crime possible, and that was called _TREASON. _No one wanted to be accused of being a traitor to Britannia. Euphemia was already called a traitor by the nobles in the court. Sure, Euphie didn't always catch the funny looks, harsh whispers, and looks of disdain cast at her, but Cornelia always saw the brunt of hatred for her little sister. People were too cowardly to attack Euphemia directly because of Zero and Cornelia's fierce reputation; instead they would just instigate Cornelia for answers.

"Well, your highness, it's nothing too serious; I've just been so worried about Euphie lately-"

"_Princess Euphemia, _Kururugi Suzaku. Do not get too presumptuous now." Cornelia corrected, startled at the familiarity the Eleven was having with her sister. Were they that close already? Maybe he was just jealous over the fact that Euphemia was working with Zero...wait a second, Zero was obviously male, so what if he had done something to her sister?

"Yes, your highness, I just haven't talked to Princess Euphemia in a couple of days, and I haven't heard anything from her at all. It feels like something bad is going to happen." Suzaku confessed, feeling the hole in his heart get bigger and bigger with each bad thing that he thought of or even felt. Images in his mind about Zero gunning down Euphemia, stabbing her, strangling her, and all of these other horrible images came into his mind. Why did it feel like Euphemia was going to...no, she wouldn't die!

"I understand the intuitive sense in all of us sometimes acts up. However, if this is merely your feelings about something and not conclusive evidence-"

Suddenly, the TV flickered on behind them and Zero appeared on the screen, surrounded by his Black Knights, who didn't look very happy at the moment. Behind them was the corpse of...

* * *

"Attention to all of Area 11! We have just eliminated a very disturbing enemy to our cause today! Luciano Bradley, one of the members of the Knights of the Round, cowardly tried to convince us to surrender the Zone by taking a Britannian civilian hostage. However, when we outnumbered him, he took his own life in despair and-" Zero started to say, but then a teenage girl beside him spoke.

"You liar! That's not what happened at all! Zero is a bad man who saved my life, but that doesn't mean he should kill people! I was only coming here to try and look for Lelouch-" The girl stuttered, but her green eyes widened as one of them came towards her and tried to grab her.

"Stop it at once, Q1. She is an innocent in all of this. Let her go." Zero ordered.

"Why should we listen to you, Zero? You just _forced him to kill himself_! Don't think that you're going to weasel your way out of this, because you're not! We want the truth!" A female knight exclaimed. The orange-haired girl ran away as fast as she possibly could.

Cornelia's eyes widened slightly and a predatory smirk came on her face. "So your organization is breaking up, eh Zero? Maybe we can finally figure out who is behind that mask and charge you guilty of the crimes you have committed!" She yelled at the screen..

"He killed a Knight of the Rounds? This can't be good! Is he really planning to...sabotage-" Suzaku yelled, but as if he could read minds, Zero continued again.

"Kururugi Suzaku, I know you're watching the broadcast. Let me assure all of you that I have done nothing to Princess Euphemia nor did I do anything at all to Luciano Bradley. I just...let me put it this way; I am an extremely persuasive person who can make someone do anything if I order them to. So, if I told your girlfriend to make me her Knight, she would. Q1, if I told you to give me answers on something you wouldn't want to talk about, you would."

* * *

(Lelouch is off the broadcast here)

Lelouch frowned. Nothing seemed to be going well here. What should he do? Maybe he should try and show them an example of his power in order for them to believe him. Something in his head warned him that that would not be smart to do. Well, he would just make a joke out of it. It wouldn't be serious.

"Ohgi, I have a favor for you. For example, if I told you to "kill all the Japanese" it wouldn't matter how you felt about it." Lelouch joked, not even noticing his power activate on its own and go into Ohgi's eyes.

Ohgi flinched slightly. "Why would you want me to...do something like that? That's a bad joke, Zero." He started to shake his head in fear. "No, I can't do that. That goes against everything our organization stands for; mass genocide. I can't do that!"

Lelouch's eyes widened slightly upon seeing Ohgi's reaction. "Are you really...hey, that was a joke, okay? Snap out of it!"

Ohgi turned to stare at Zero with a cold look on his face. "...I understand. I have to kill all the Japanese, Zero. You're not Japanese so you'll live." He replied. His gaze travelled to the other Black Knights who were watching in horror. "You are all Japanese, right?"

"Zero, what the hell did you just...?" Kallen protested, but she noticed Zero was just standing still, unable to believe his eyes.

"Ohgi, what the heck are you saying! Of course we are, that's why we formed the Black Knights-"

BANG

Tamaki fell to his knees, clutching at his arm, which was now bleeding. "Ohgi, what the hell-"

"You must die. You are Japanese." Ohgi said coldly.

"No, stop it, Ohgi! That was only a joke!" Zero cried, but Ohgi pushed him aside and started to fire at the other Black Knights, who all ducked. His eyes widened in terror as Ohgi ran out of sight. "Minami, go and stop him! I didn't mean to order him to kill the Japanese-"

"I see. I must go and kill the Japanese as well." Minami said.

"Zero, I have to know, why-"

Kallen's eyes widened upon realizing that both Ohgi and Minami were gone. Zero hadn't really meant to do this, had he? "Was this all...an accident?"

"Yes...yes, it was." Zero muttered, and then he turned to face her. "It won't affect you, Kallen. I already used it on you. But it wasn't for a bad purpose." Then, Kallen watched in shock as Zero reached up and took off his mask to reveal...the face of Prince Lelouch vi Britannia.

"L-Lelouch? B-But why...why would you be Zero? I thought you were a prince." Kallen stammered.

"I am a prince. I am also Zero. I am all three entities at once. You see, Lelouch vi Britannia has no real genuine feelings for his home country. He only chose to return because Princess Euphemia begged him to." Lelouch explained. He stared at her. "I did not mean to do that, Kallen. You have to help me...help me stop them! Otherwise, Euphie, Suzaku, and even**...Shirley **could die!" He screamed, and somehow Kallen noticed, that he looked heartbroken and determined at the same time.

* * *

Euphemia was out interacting with an old Japanese woman and her daughter whenever the loudspeaker that was over in the corner of the room came on. A male voice boomed over the line in irritation. "_All Japanese need to die. All of you who are Japanese, please use anything you can to kill yourselves!" _

Euphemia's eyes widened. "Is this some sort of joke? The Specially Administrative Zone does not like racists!" She screamed, standing up and putting her arms in front of the two women, who watched on in bewilderment.

"_I am not a racist. The Japanese just have to die, you see? It's not that hard. If you won't go willingly, then I guess we'll have to use force." _A female with blue hair exclaimed and then gunshots were heard and people started screaming.

"Is this...sabotage?" Euphemia whispered to herself. What she heard next startled her even more.

"_Stop this at once, Ohgi! These are people out here!" _Zero ordered over the loudspeaker, and then a gunshot was heard...again. Then, the line went dead.

"What will happen to us, dearie?" The old woman asked. "They're going to kill Zero and us."

"No, they won't." Euphemia said, her eyes filled with a burning fire.

"What makes you so certain?" The daughter asked.

"I'm Britannian, and they can't harm a Britannian, right?" Euphemia said distantly before starting to walk out the door. "I'm going to stop all of this madness!"

"I hope she's right." The old woman said, before hugging her daughter close to her. A few moments after Euphemia left, there was a knock at the door.

"Are there Japanese in here?"

The woman sighed. Fate was here to take her. "Yes. Come in."

The second she opened the door, gunshots were heard and then...everything went white.

* * *

"This is certainly an interesting change in your policies, Lelouch. To think you would cause your own sister to mess up her ideas...very manipulative and selfish! You are truly worthy of being known as my son!" Charles cackled like the maniac he was. "The power of the King has greatly cursed you but you will triumph! Spread chaos with your demonic powers, Lelouch!"

V.V. grinned as well. "He is interesting."

"


	16. Chapter 16 Earl of Pudding

**A/N:Wow, I have 136 alerts for this story. WOW. Thank you sooo much, you guys! I feel like jumping for joy out loud...only I won't. The pairing is still LelouchXEuphemia, you guys, and yes, I hate Suzaku with a burning passion. However, I'll try to be more professional in this fanfic. It won't just say "Suzaku died because he was stupid, lolz." Thanks go to the following readers for their reviews:Lovegranted, Reishin Amara, Simaru Innovade, undead-3, nequam-tenshi, Redrosedragon18, god of all, karndragon, Ultimate-Geass-User, BLACK SUMMERSUNS 88, kpsanimefan, Alsarnia, Masaki4everDead, The Strike Freedom, zecross, Thebroodingmoss, MrNeedstoRemoveAllFavs, Sai 0, Jimbobob5536, Belle Morte Rising, PXLight, Ossus, Snakeboy33, Ragez, Flpole01, , Taira-keimei, ProudlyIrish, 3HaH3, Cheza the Flower Maiden, Miku Alli, Slices, MisterSp, Anime-VGsUltimate00, deathnoteno1fan-codegeass lover, snakeboy33, Hollow-unlimited, Gohan-to-the-max, Seig-Zeon, Dragonrider04, nanoman79, and Kitsunegan. Without you guys, this story wouldn't have gone as far as it did. I appreciate all of you very much. Here's a cookie!**

* * *

**Chapter 16 Earl of Pudding **

* * *

"Well, well, this is certainly turning interesting, wouldn't you say?" A very cheery voice uttered. This voice belonged to a man who appeared to be in his mid-twenties. He had blue hair and seemed to carry a lackadaisical attitude about everything in his life. His blue eyes twinkled in amusement as he studied the man before him who appeared to be very irritated by his light-hearted demeanor. Not that it bothered the man, though.

For Lloyd Asplund was not one who cared what others thought. This had been a constant all his life; he was picked on by children in school for wearing odd clothing, for reading books all the time and barely interacting with others. He didn't care what they thought. He never even cared about what his parents thought of his uncaring nature, he just knew throughout his life that there was one thing he cared about more than anything else: Knightmares. He had seen them as a child in a book he was reading, and it fascinated him so much that he would spend nights mulling over it in bed, trying to imagine how it felt to be in one of those giant robots.

One day, he told himself, one day he would be in one of those robots, and he could see the world in its entirety. Then everyone would respect him, and no one would ever demean him for not caring about other people, or being social. He only cared about being at one with nature and he didn't like people. He supposed he was a misanthrope. He would have thanked you for the compliment because he liked being someone who didn't like humanity and any of the disgusting things that they had done over the years.

Now, he was busy discussing political matters with a man who was one of the most influential in the business; the second prince of Britannia; Prince Schneizel El Britannia. Apparently, something was terribly wrong at the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan, the project that the third princess of Britannia; Euphemia li Britannia had suggested herself and founded. Llloyd didn't think much of the young princess, but from what he knew of her, she seemed like an innocent young child. He admired innocence very much, and he thought that she was one of the few decent people to come out of her family.

The majority of the Royal Family...well, he didn't like them very much. The first prince of Britannia was a nice man, but he was incredibly dense. The first princess was a selfish snot-nosed brat. The second princess was a tyrannical racist bitch who seemed to have no heart whatsoever. The second prince was a nonchalant, uncaring man whom Lloyd could relate with greatly. He, too, hated humanity. So the two of them got along. The third prince, well...he had been an arrogant jerk. He and Lloyd had never gotten along well. The fourth princess was even more terrifying.

The fourth princess and prince were both bloodthirsty, genocidal monsters and their father took great pride to endorse that fact. The rest were all selfish, spoiled, self-centered, arrogant tyrants. Well, the one he didn't know that much about yet was the eleventh prince, Lelouch vi Britannia. He hadn't even met the young man yet, and as far as he knew, he didn't want to.

"So, you mean to tell me that there has been a massacre of the Japanese by rogue members of the Black Knights? Well, this is interesting, isn't it? Here I thought these people were all for this idea, and now they turn around and stab us in the back! That's just like humans for you! Everyone in this nation is every bit as evil as they are, don't you think Schneizel?" Lloyd said, pushing his glasses up onto his nose.

"Lloyd, you mustn't be _so _rude to the prince like that! I'm sorry, Your Highness. He just has a little bit to learn about manners..." His assistant, a girl with purple hair and blue eyes cut in before casting a glare Lloyd's way.

"That's all right. I perfectly understand that he does not give a fig about nobility. However, be glad that our father isn't around to hear that sort of talk." Schneizel said calmly, though there was a threat under those words. "What I'm more concerned about now is not Mr. Asplund's insouciance, but the fact that my sister Euphy and my brother Lelouch are both there, and thus they could be at risk of attack from the Black Knights. Cornelia has debated going in and attacking the SAZ, but Euphemia protested that idea and said it was immoral to attack the civilians until they found the perpetrators and caught them."

"Ah, quite a dilemma, eh? I suppose that's why you came to me. Do you want me to dispatch the Lancelot and have _him _stop the fighting? I'm sure he's been itching for some action...it must be awfully boring signing paperwork and never getting to fight at all." Lloyd said cheerfully, referring to a certain brown-haired boy.

"As a matter of fact, I've been thinking over it and I've decided that my brother should get some Knightmare Frame training himself. I'm sure he'd enjoy it, and so that's also why I've come to you. I would like it if my brother, Lelouch could learn how to pilot a Knightmare frame. I know he is quite stubborn about serving Britannia, and he has a rebellious streak, much like my dear sister. That is how the two of them are so unique, you see." Schneizel remarked, before laughing slightly.

"What an interesting offer that is! However, I'm afraid we would have to get permission from the Viceroy first-" Lloyd was cut off by a disapproving look from Schneizel.

"I'm afraid that we don't need her permission in order to do something as insignificant as this. You know that her bigger objective now is saving her little sister. Which is why I've decided to give the Knights of The Round the chance to avenge their fallen comrade by sabotaging the SAZ and killing Zero. They will save Euphemia and make sure that she isn't killed or hurt in the process."

"Prince Schneizel, you can't do that without permission-" Cecile began, but Schneizel stared at her coldly.

"Surely you realize that _I _approved Euphemia's plan in the first place. Therefore, it is my duty to share the weight of her failure. Since she is no longer a princess, I don't know what will happen, but most likely she will have to go into hiding." Schneizel said sadly. Inwardly, he was more determined to kill Zero than for even saving his sister. In reality, he didn't really care one way or the other about what happened to his sister.

* * *

Euphemia grimaced at the sight of the once thriving Zone. There was blood all over the ground, and she could hear gunshots and the sounds of people screaming in the distance. There was a child dead on the ground and his stuffed animal was right beside him. His mother was dead as well. Euphemia felt nausea rise to the top of her throat.

She puked then and there and couldn't stop. She wiped her mouth once she was finished and felt tears rise to life in her eyes. "Why...? Why did this happen? Was this Lelouch's doing?" She was afraid of what her brother was capable of now.

"Are there any Japanese over here?" A male voice barked. She flinched as a Knightmare frame came flying toward her and took in a young girl hiding. "She's Japanese! She has to die!" Before the soldier could even shoot her, Euphemia darted in front of her with her arms outstretched at either side of the girl, shielding her.

"Stop this at once! Why are you killing innocent civilians in a no-kill zone? These people have done nothing wrong!" Euphemia cried.

"Get out of the way, Princess Euphemia. I was ordered to do this. I have to kill the Japanese." The soldier from inside the Knightmare answered. "If you don't, I'll kill you as well."

"I'm afraid that you won't be laying a finger on the Princess." A new voice interjected, and then suddenly a white Knightmare frame came darting in front of Euphemia and sent the other one stumbling backward. "Are you all right, Euphie?"

"I'm fine, Suzaku. Who sent you?"

"Lloyd did. What's going on here? Why are your citizens being murdered?" Suzaku asked in bewilderment. "Was this Zero's doing, your Highness?"

Euphemia frowned. Her gaze turned to the young girl who was hiding. "Suzaku, take this girl and hide her somewhere. I need to go check on something."

"Your Highness, you are at risk of being killed! Come with me!" Suzaku begged.

"No, Suzaku. This is my responsibility. If Zero has decided to go back on his word, then I will make sure to deliver him to my sister and carry out justice. I hope that that isn't what has happened, because he promised me." Euphemia whispered quietly.

"What are you saying?" Suzaku asked.

"Nothing." Euphemia whispered. "I have to go check on the civilians."

"No, princess, you can't-"

"I _have to." _Euphemia said coldly.

Suzaku watched her go. "Euphemia..."

* * *

Her eyes widened as she found the house she had been in previously. The walls were splattered with blood and the bodies of the women she had been talking to previously were lying on the ground. Tears spilled out of her eyes. "I'm sorry...I couldn't protect you...I hope you can forgive me."

"You don't need to be forgiven, Princess. _I _need to be forgiven." A modulated voice said from behind her. She whirled around and found Zero standing there. The red-head from earlier followed close behind him. He pulled off his mask to reveal Lelouch. His left eye was glowing bright red. "I'm sorry...I lost control over it. I didn't mean to cause all of this..."

"Lelouch, you can't say sorry. All the people being killed here can't come back to life because you said that!" Kallen protested.

"I DIDN'T MEAN IT, FOR GOD'S SAKE! IT'S TRUE THAT I HAVE USED MY POWER BEFORE ON SOME MEMBERS OF THE BLACK KNIGHTS, BUT I NEVER USED IT LIKE THIS! IT WAS ONLY A BAD JOKE!" Lelouch screamed.

"So, you used it on me? So are you manipulating all of us?" Kallen demanded. When Lelouch didn't answer, she slapped him in the face. "You liar! I trusted you and you lied to all of us!"

"You used it on me, didn't you, Lelouch?" Euphemia said quietly.

"Yes...that was also unintentional. I can't risk showing my face to anyone else for now. You two are safe. However, I can't return back to Ashford Academy, nor can I show my face at the Viceroy's palace now. I have to stay as Zero. Until I find a way to control this-"

"Stop the massacre now." Euphemia ordered.

"If I could find a way to cancel out Ohgi's and Minami's geass orders, I would. But I don't know how to. They can only be geassed once. At this rate, they will never stop..." Lelouch trailed off before stooping on the ground. Euphemia knelt down by his side.

"I won't leave you, Lelouch." Euphemia whispered. "It's all right."

"We found Zero!" A voice cried. Euphemia whirled around to find a group of Knightmares surrounding them. "Show us your face, Zero! We're here on order of Prince Schneizel to rescue Euphemia li Britannia, so you must die, Zero!"

"Shit..." Lelouch said, and then he pulled his mask back on and stood up. "Ah, so the hypocrites of Britannia are back, eh? You had to betray Euphemia's dream and massacre the Japanese, huh?"

"Stop shifting the blame!" Gino's voice snapped. "We know you ordered your soldiers to kill the Japanese. Why would you do such a thing?"

Lelouch shivered. _There's no way out... _

* * *

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. He flipped it open and answered. "Hello?"

"_Big brother? What's going on? Why can't I get in touch with Euphie? Did something happen?" _

"Nothing happened at all. Stay safe."

"_Big brother, are there people with guns behind you? I hear shooting..." _

"I love you..." Lelouch said, and then he hung up on her.

* * *

Nunnally frowned as Sayoko came over and took the phone from her. "What's going on with Lelouch?"

"What's wrong?" Sayoko asked tenderly.

"He hung up on me..." Nunnally trailed off. "Lelouch..."


	17. Chapter 17 Painful Decisions

A/N:**I know I've probably written myself into a corner here. The last two chapters were extremely hard to deal with, and now I don't know where to go from here. But I appreciate all the reader support and feedback. As of recently, I have 147 alerts and 128 alerts on this story alone! Wow, it's so famous that it's even mentioned on Google's automatic search engine! I'm not used to being famous, but maybe this means I'll have success outside fanfiction, too! Sorry for the long wait. Ppsht, I appreciate your criticisms, but keep in mind that this story was written two years ago and the me of two years ago was not as good a writer as I am now. As for the eye color thing, does it really matter? That's a bit trivial. Also, looking back on it, I think maybe Chapter 16 was a pretty stupid thing to do...and now I'm trying to fix it! This is indeed a difficult situation...**

* * *

**Chapter 17 Painful Decisions**

Lelouch vi Britannia, or Zero at the moment, could very well say that this was one of the worst moments of his life, though that subject was probably debatable. He could say that it wasn't very pleasant trying to mull over what one should do next when they had guns pointed at them from Knightmare Frames that were hell-bent on killing him and wouldn't listen to whatever he had to say, because they knew he had caused his soldiers to kill the Japanese. Even if he told them that it was an accident, nothing he said or did now could stop them. They would keep on killing until all the Japanese were dead.

He supposed that this was the end of his life now. It had been a short and painful one. Every time he thought he'd gotten happiness, every time he felt like he had actually found something in common with someone, he had to lose that person. First, it had been Shirley, who had her memories of him wiped for her own good. Now, it seemed that he was not only going to lose his life, but it seemed that he would also lose hope of ever being able to see his friends without accidentally geassing them. At least he hadn't geassed Euphemia to do something like this.

He didn't know what he would do then. He would be devastated if he had to kill his precious half-sister...but now he had ruined her hopes for peace. The Japanese most likely would never trust him or the Black Knights again. There was no hope anymore for him. He was going to die here like this and have no way of escaping...wait a second, what had he done the last time he ended up in a situation like this? He had gained the Geass power. Then it had actually given him an advantage, but now it seemed to be like a curse.

There was no way he could geass the Knights of the Round in their Knightmares. As much as Lelouch hated to admit it, he was reduced to only two choices: he either had to cooperate with them and get taken prisoner and figure out a way to escape or else stay here and get killed while his Black Knights kept on killing the Japanese. He couldn't tell them the truth; he had tried that earlier and it didn't look like it would work. After all, who would believe someone who told them that they didn't mean to kill someone after it was already said and done?

Only an idiot would believe something like that. He knew that, too. He probably could never see his friends or his sisters...though the last one was something he actually liked. He couldn't stand his family, and being forced to pretend that he was actually on their side and that he really "liked" them had grown old fast. Euphemia and Nunnally were the only ones he actually liked, the rest of them were all racist pigs.

"Well, what do you have to say about this, Zero? Let the princess come with us and we won't kill you; instead we'll just take you hostage and unmask you ourselves!" Bismarck Waldstein ordered from his Knightmare.

Lelouch knew that Bismarck was too loyal to the Emperor to even think of saving him if he told him he was Zero. It was true that Bismarck revered Marianne and her children, but that respect was only saved for loyal Britannians, not for traitorous ones such as Zero. It didn't matter what he thought of, nothing seemed possible at this point, besides giving in and letting them take him prisoner.

"Lelouch, you're screwed now." Kallen growled under her breath. She, too, could not let herself be seen. She did not want her face seen on TV. They needed to figure a way out of this bad situation, and now.

_I know that already. _Lelouch thought but bit his lip. If they talked any longer, it could give away who they were. He had to think of something because it didn't seem like the Knights of the Round would wait much longer for an answer. Then, something came to his mind. What if...no, he wouldn't be on their side. But if he gave Euphemia over to them, maybe a certain someone might actually join their side...

As foolish as Suzaku was, Lelouch decided he had no choice but to rely on him for now. "Very well. Here is your princess." He said grudgingly before moving over and letting Euphemia move in front of him.

She stared at him with sad eyes. "No...you can't be thinking of..." She trailed off.

"Come with us, your Highness! Zero must die! Prince Schneizel ordered us here to save you and kill him! See how he has ruined your life?" Bismarck cried.

"Don't kill Zero! It wasn't his fault! I'm no longer a princess, remember? I gave up my claim to the throne..." She said.

"We know that, but both Cornelia and Schneizel wish to have you back, anyway. You have to be kept away from this terrorist. Now, tell us, where is your knight?" Gino said.

"Her knight...? He is probably looking for her now. Say, if he learns that you're not on Euphemia's side and that you merely wish to use her and toss her aside and destroy the Special Zone, what will he think?" Lelouch challenged.

"That's not what we're intending at all, Zero. Prince Schneizel only intends-"

"To uphold the outdated, stale ideal of Britannia. Which is to eliminate all of its enemies and keep the Japanese crushed under its feet like insects. That's why you want to do this. Wouldn't that make Princess Euphemia a traitor as well? For she believes everyone should be equal and that no fighting should go on at all." Lelouch pointed out.

"Your Highness, are you serious?" Nonnette asked without joking around, which was unusual.

Euphemia nodded. "Yes."

"That is heresy, isn't it?" Bismarck remarked.

"Lelouch, what are you-" Kallen hissed, but Lelouch placed his hand over her mouth.

"Hush." He said. "Very well. I will allow you to take us hostage." He said.

"Has Zero lost his mind?" Gino asked.

* * *

"I think he's up to something." Anya said dully. No one knew that now, her eyes were rimmed in red due to the use of Geass on her. Right now, her mind was that of Marianne vi Britannia, and she was not about to let her son die. He still had some use as a pawn and after all, he was the key to making the world that she and Charles wanted to create. He didn't deserve to die just yet. "I will take him with me."

"Anya, why are you-" Gino asked, but she stared at him.

"I want to kill him." She lied, but Gino seemed to buy it.

"Okay. Zero, we will also have to take your subordinate." Gino said.

"Where did you put the Guren MK II, Kallen?" Lelouch whispered.

Kallen smirked. "Are you saying that you're not actually going to cooperate?"

"No. You have to hurry and get out of here and go get your Knightmare. Then, find the Lancelot and get him to help us."

"Like hell he'll help us." Kallen spat, remembering how pesky the white Knightmare had been during their many battles.

"Oh, I have an ace up my sleeve." He said.

"You're impossible. I'll be back." She said before taking off into the chaos.

Lelouch sighed and waited as Anya Alstreim descended from her Knightmare. He smirked. _Now I can geass her. _

* * *

His eyes widened as he noticed that her eyes were tinted red. How could she already be geassed? That didn't make any sense.

"Zero, you will come with me. I will take you with me." Anya said before...reaching out to take his arm. Lelouch raised an eyebrow inside the mask.

"Are you going to kill me?" He said.

To his surprise, she winked. "Of course not."

Once the two of them were in Anya's Knightmare frame, she turned to Zero. "It's all right now. You can take off your mask."

"I'm not going to!" Lelouch protested.

"I already know who you are. You're Lelouch vi Britannia, the Eleventh Prince." Anya said dully.

"How did you-"

"C.C. told me. She is on her way now to help you." Anya said before smiling again. "Now we can let the fun begin! Are you ready to help me, Lelouch?"

Lelouch frowned. How did this woman know who he was, and how did she know who C.C. was? Something wasn't right here. "_Who are you? _You're not Anya Alstreim, are you? When I met her, she was deadpan."

"Anya" stared at him for a moment, and then she smiled. "You're right, Lelouch. I am not Anya. Anya darling is merely asleep for a little while. I'm the one in charge right now."

"Does she have a schizophrenic Geass?" Lelouch asked.

"No, silly. I'm merely controlling her mind now. C.C. is one of my old friends back from when I first met her and Charles."

Lelouch frowned. "Don't joke around with me. How do you know that man?"

"Why, because I'm _your mother, Marianne. _I'm hurt that you don't remember me, Lelouch." Marianne said before pouting.

"No, you're joking. Mother is dead. Don't fool around with me!"

"Nope, it's me. Want me to prove it? When you were seven years old, you wanted to marry Euphie, you said you wanted to beat up Schneizel for beating you at a chess game, and you hated Nonnette because one time you two were alone in the tub and she-"

"Enough!" He snapped. "So, you REALLY ARE my mother?" He said in disbelief.

"Yep. So that means everything you've done up until now is utterly pointless. How is Euphemia?" Marianne asked.

Lelouch hit his forehead. "Are you saying that my role as Zero...is a waste of time."

"Yes, it is. None of your siblings killed me." Marianne chuckled. "Though I did enjoy seeing you kill that buffoon Clovis."

"Anya, where do you want us to take Zero and the Princess?" Gino asked.

"I'm sorry, Gino honey, but I really don't want to go anywhere with a womanizer like you." Marianne chuckled before slamming into his Knightmare. She watched in amusement as he was forced to escape using the eject pod before the entire thing collapsed.

"Anya, have you lost your mind?" Nonnette cried. Bismarck sighed. He knew what was going on.

"I thought I told her not to abuse her Geass." He said. "Looks like she doesn't want to listen."

* * *

Bismarck was the only one who knew that Anya's body was controlled by Marianne because the Emperor had placed enough trust in him to tell him. That was why he would never let "Anya" do what she pleased because then there would be chaos beyond belief.

Euphemia frowned as she sat in Bismarck's Knightmare Frame.

Suddenly, a familiar white robot appeared. "What's going on here? Why are all the Japanese being killed?"

"Zero committed an atrocity. He ordered his soldiers to kill the Japanese." Bismarck explained.

"No, that is false. Believe in Zero, Suzaku." Euphemia declared.

"Your Highness! Euphemia, you're not hurt?" Suzaku cried.

"No, Suzaku. I can trust in Zero. Mr. Bismarck, please let me go to my Knight." She pleaded.

Bismarck frowned, but let her go.

"Euphie, why is Zero doing this?" Suzaku cried.

"It's not Zero's fault, Kururugi Suzaku-san. We all know you want to secretly get it on with the Princess. You're just jealous because Zero has a crush on your princess. I know all about the time you got caught making out with her in the hallway of Cornelia's office. Rumors say she screamed so loudly that-" Anya began.

Euphemia and Suzaku both turned beet-red. "It's not like that at all...really, I'm not in love with Suzaku."

Suzaku's eyes widened. "Euphie...you're not...?"

"I mean...he is my knight and everything, but..." She trailed off. "I'm really more into him being my friend because there is already someone I love."

Suzaku coughed suddenly. "Your Highness, didn't you...say?"

"That was to get you out of your suicidal stage." She hissed.

"Mother, can you let _me_ talk to him?" Lelouch hissed.

"Fine. We have to get out of sight, or else all these people will know too much!" Marianne said. "Say, did you know that one time Charles tried to make out with Clovis's mother in front of me? I beat him up pretty bad. And another time, he said that he liked Odysseus the most because he was a moron..."

"Mother, please shut up." Lelouch moaned.

"How dare you tell your mother to shut up, Lelouch! I haven't talked to you for eight years. I only know what C.C. tells me about you. Do you still love the princess who is a lot like a certain show you watch where a girl became a goddess...?"

"Mother, you promised not to tell anyone that I was into that sort of thing!" Lelouch cried. "That was when I was five!"

* * *

Somewhere, Charles zi Britannia sneezed.

"Damn Marianne. She's taking things too far. Honestly, revealing all of those things about me. I'll have a lot to say to her when she comes back."

"Did she tell your son that I'm-"

"V.V., you can come out of the closet later. Not right now." Charles said seriously.


	18. Chapter 18 You reap what you sow

**A/N:Wow...I mean...seriously. 140 favorites and 156 follows? *passes out on the spot.* I am not much of a talker, but man I cannot believe how many people love this story. I think it's okay, but it's not one of my favorite stories. Maybe that's why I'm so slow at updating it-aside from the fact that Code Geass is a complex series and thus sort of hard to write for unless you know what you're doing-glances at Lunatic Chaos, kyugan, and Lilyflower1987. On a side note, that author has also added THIS story to her story alerts! ...I cannot believe that. When your own favorite authors start adding YOU to their favorites, that is something to celebrate. I'm not really that arrogant, and I'm sort of flustered by all this! I appreciate the critics and at some point, I do intend to go back and edit the first few chapters...I am such a perfectionist about my stories. All I have to say to the critics is stick with the story and it improves. My writing was sucky around 2010. It's not an era I like remembering. Sorry for the long A/N and everything, but I'm not entirely sure if I'll have power within the next few days, so I thought maybe I'd try to get this story up soon. I think you all know about the paranoia surrounding the stupid hurricane. Well if I lose power, I won't be able to post this up for a bit. So I will probably try to get this up within the next few days...Lol. I know the last chapter was a bit cracky, but I'll fix that. **

* * *

**Chapter 18 You reap what you sow **

Cornelia li Britannia frowned as she sat at her desk, filling out yet _more _paperwork for the latest shipment of anti-terrorist weaponry. She was all for receiving more weapons as long as Zero and his Black Knights kept on posing problems for Britannia, these kinds of things had to be done in order to establish order and keep the peace. Zero was too busy stirring up trouble to worry about the people he might crush under his heels or the Elevens who were fine with how things were.

War, Cornelia thought, was a necessary evil. Though she enjoyed exterminating the vermin known as Elevens-and though it was quite fun to see them scream as she gunned them down-at the same time, it made her feel a sense of self-loathing so great that she couldn't put it into words. Sure, she felt regrets over killing a few terrorists, but for the most part she didn't mind if they died. After all, they rebelled against Britannia, the nation that not only ruled over them and taught them the error of their ways, but also bit the hand that fed them their knowledge and everything they needed to survive.

Why could they do such a thing, Cornelia wondered? Shouldn't they be more grateful to the ones who had given them a chance to stop being so savage and embrace the ways of Britannia? Why rebel and fight?

A moment later, Gilford appeared in the doorway. "My lady, the Specially Administrated Zone has fallen into ruins. The Elevens are being massacred by the Black Knights. Now is the time to show the public who the real heroes are."

Cornelia paused and put down her pen. "I see. Thank you for telling me such _interesting news, Gilford. _Are you contradicting your own principles now, Zero? Very well...also, what is the status of my sister?"

"I don't know, My lady. We haven't been able to find her at all. We haven't located the Prince, either."

Cornelia felt her heart burst into pieces at this revelation. No, her beloved, precious sister could not be dead. She refused to let Euphemia die. "...Give this order to the soldiers stationed there. Tell them to find Euphie and my brother Lelouch and bring them back safely. Tell them to kill Zero if he's hurt either of them...!"

"But, my Lady, the Specially Administrated Zone is a neutral zone-"

"It was part of Euphie's fantasy of an idealistic world that doesn't exist, Gilford. I let her indulge in it for far too long, and hopefully I can take the pain for her."

"But my lady, it's impossible to tell exactly where they are-" Gilford was cut off yet again by the Viceroy.

"I will not lose Lelouch again." She declared, her fists shaking. She could still recall how horrified she'd felt when two of her dearest siblings were "killed" overseas. It had been a horrifying turn of events that seemed to get worse before it got better. First, her idol; Lady Marianne, had been brutally murdered by a group of terrorists who somehow had avoided detection-and the case had gone cold ever since. Nunnally and Lelouch were broken by that catastrophe.

* * *

Lelouch refused to come out of his room for days and would scream and accuse everyone in the family of conspiring against him and his sister. His words were never really verified or taken seriously, as he was only nine years old, and but a child. Of course, no one listened to him then. In retrospect, Cornelia realized now that she should have done _something, _anything at all to stop him.

But back then she hadn't even been aware of the fact that Lelouch would even dare think of challenging the Emperor like he did. If she had, she most certainly would have prevented him from going. However, she hadn't known then, so that was in the past now. When he had gotten himself exiled, she had been stunned. He had written letters back to Euphemia constantly, and sometimes she would read over them.

Before he was declared dead, she noticed that each of his letters seemed to be filled with more hatred of their father and each showed him starting to lose his belief in Britannia. Initially, she had been delighted to find them both alive and well, but something had changed Lelouch-she knew it and he knew it, too. He no longer smiled that much and didn't greet her like he used to. Instead, his personality seemed to be more distant, if not cold and reserved. He also seemed to have become quite a cynic.

He would simply smile at her and be polite, but it sent chills down her spine when he did so. When he smiled, it reminded her of a wolf about to devour its prey whole. Lelouch really resembled his father with his cool, aloof nature and his sharp purple eyes that never seemed to stop watching everyone in the room and seemed to take note of everything in sight.

If Lelouch was even aware of this aura he possessed, he must enjoy having it. After all, he does attract women to his side.

* * *

She had suggested the topic of marriage to Lelouch about a week ago, and he'd spat his drink out and looked at her as though she were crazy. So she probably knew what his answer to that was...for now, anyway. Many noblewomen wanted to wed him already, particularly the young ones who were unaware of his mother's commoner status. They were attracted to his good looks, his polite nature, and his frosty outlook on life. He was completely oblivious to women, however.

After all, who would be better fit to marry than a prince who had just returned to the Royal Family? Plus, some families enjoyed having controversy run their lives. Though some avoided him as well, seeing as he was branded with the name of "Eleven Lover." She knew Lelouch didn't care what they thought. He didn't care about what anyone though except for Nunnally and Euphie.

"My lady...I believe we have found him." Gilford replied.

"Good. Send me a link to him." Cornelia responded promptly. She watched as a knightmare came onto the screen. She recognized that one; it was the one known as the Mordred, wasn't it? A pink-haired girl appeared on the screen and smiled shyly. She seemed to be the one driving. So, where was Lelouch? That girl definitely wasn't Euphie, as Euphie didn't possess red eyes. Behind her...was...Lelouch.

"Greetings, Viceroy Cornelia. I have brought you Prince Lelouch safe from the battle. I am Anya Alstreim; one of the Knights of the Round." She chanted robotically. She didn't seem very interested in this at all.

"Did Schneizel deploy you?" Cornelia questioned. She stared at the red-eyed girl, who blinked for a few moments.

"Actually, I went myself. I have fallen for Prince Lelouch, and we **are going to be** lovers!" She cried before grabbing Lelouch's arm and hugging him.

"H-Hey, let me go, you little!" He cried.

"Oh, honeymuffin, don't say that to me!" She cried.

"That's disgusting, because we're relat-" Cornelia spoke then, cutting her brother off.

"Girl," She said carefully. "Can I talk to my brother?"

The pinkette nodded, and Lelouch stepped forward. For some reason, he had one hand over his eye, she noticed. It was very annoying. "Hello there, Cornelia. It would appear you've got me at a _bad time." _

_A bad time, huh? So that's what he calls it? _

* * *

"I'm glad to see you are alive. Where is Euphie? I want to see her? Is that Eleven with her, too?"

Lelouch seemed to drop eye contact with her. He didn't speak for a few moments, and when he did, his tone was stiff in the proper tone of a royal prince. "...Euphie is all right. I think."

"Lelouch, I want a damned _good _explanation for all of this! Why is Zero murdering the Elevens? Why are you even out on the battlefield in the first place? What's wrong with your eye?" She demanded.

"Always bossy, aren't you?" He responded.

"Lelouch, what's wrong with your eye?" Cornelia pressed.

He didn't answer her, and that enraged her further. Why was her own brother hiding things from her? "LELOUCH VI BRITANNIA, ANSWER ME!"

To her surprise, he chuckled darkly. It was a sinister sort of laugh that unnerved her. Then, still not taking his hand off of his eye, he faced her. "Cornelia, something happened to my eye during the battle. It got hurt, so I'll need something to wear over it."

She still didn't buy his explanation, though. Something was extremely fishy about this situation. It was true that it was in the nature of nobility to hide secrets, and the Imperial Family was not exempt from this. But, Lelouch's secret seemed to be more than an ordinary one. He was always absent for no reason, he never talked to her anymore and he always seemed to be in a hurry.

"Lelouch, do you STILL see all of us as your enemies? We're not here to kill you and take you prisoner! You are my brother and I wish to protect you! Whatever it is you're hiding can't be that horrible that you can't even tell me!" She scolded.

"Your overprotective side is up again." The pinkette remarked.

Lelouch shot her a reproachful glare. "You be quiet!"

"Why, Lelouch, that's no way to talk to me! After all, I am your-"

Lelouch put his hand on over her mouth. "Don't mind her. She's a little excited after the battle. She may have lost a few of her brain cells fighting. As for my eye...Cornelia, I swear I will tell you as soon as I get back. Tell Nunnally I'm all right."

The screen then became filled with static. Cornelia pounded her fist against the desk in frustration. _Lelouch, whatever it is you're up to, I'll find out what it is. If you're actually involved with that girl...then..._

* * *

Lelouch glared at the pink-haired girl beside him. "Why did you have to go and say those lewd things?"

"Lewd? Lelouch, that's not a nice thing to say to your mother who's trying to help you out of a bad situation!" Marianne cried.

"Mother, all you're doing is causing trouble for me! I still am not entirely convinced that you're her, either..."

"You wanted to marry Nunnally when you were four. Have you forgotten about the time you wet your pants in front of Euphie?"

"Shut up and stop saying such inane things. Just drive the stupid machine." Lelouch groaned.

"Is your geass power out of control?" Marianne asked sharply.

"How'd you guess?" Lelouch asked before lifting his arm to reveal the permanently activated red sigil in his eye.

"Easy. I possess it as well, you know. Are you truly going to tell Cornelia about your geass?"

"I'll try to as smoothly as possible." He managed.


	19. Chapter 19 The lies of the world

**A/N:Guess what? We DID lose power...fortunately, that happened just after I uploaded the last chapter...so I did get my Internet back...my god, that was torturous, living without any power. Guess now that's why I've waited for a bit before updating any of my stories...number one, I've got major writer's block...number two, I'm now working, so my mind is on other things than my writing, sadly. But I will return to my Geass fics, it's just that the Pandora Hearts fandom is so amazing that it drew me in. That's basically all I've been reading now, along with a few DC fanfics here and there. I've been away from the Geass fandom for a while, and I apologize for that. My tastes change for a while, but I never permanently or intentionally abandon my stories. I just need to update this and then I'll be headed to bed! **

**Chapter 19 The lies of the world**

Marianne vi Britannia watched over her son as they were together in the Knightmare's cockpit. It was difficult enough to remain in control of a body that wasn't hers, but to restrain someone else's _mind _was in and of itself an impossible feat. Anya Alstreim's mind was very easy to manipulate and bend, but she also possessed an incredible amount of stubbornness, which made possessing her a pain in the behind.

Even now, she knew Anya was fighting her, and every word she spoke was hard, knowing that she wanted to be in control. Anya didn't know about Geass or that a dead consort was in her mind, trying to stay alive. If she had, she would have probably gone insane. Though the poor girl did seem to notice the memory loss she had over time, and practically the entire reason she had gotten an online blog was mainly so she could keep track of her own mind and make sure her sanity hadn't entirely slipped.

She did feel bad for doing this to her, but the plan had to be met. So she sometimes had to resort to immoral or impure things to get a peaceful world. So what else was new? Her son was the same way, she noticed. C.C. had told her everything about him, from his plan as Zero to his intentions regarding Nunnally and Euphemia. Though apparently his plans with Euphemia hadn't gone the way he'd intended...at all.

The boy always did have a way with the women, even if he wasn't aware of it himself. C.C. seemed to have a bit of a crush on him, then that girl Lelouch had played with a lot as a child...Milly was her name, wasn't it? Then that girl with the red hair who drove the red Knightmare frame, and then the girl from his school whom he had practically mind-raped to keep her from getting involved in his troubles. Then even his own sisters seemed to fall for him.

It seemed to her that he had always favored Euphemia the most out of all of their siblings, even over Nunnally. When Euphemia had asked anything of Lelouch, Lelouch would always accept. Marianne thought of them as little childhood lovers, and found it to be adorable. Of course, that was when they were children, so things had obviously changed once they became teenagers.

Maybe she should talk to him about that now...a devious smile made its way on her face. Perhaps she should suggest something like that right now. "Say, Lelouch, do you still think Euphie is as cute as you found her to be ten years ago?"

Bingo. Lelouch's face flushed bright red for a few moments before he managed to find his voice.

* * *

"H-How the hell did you know about that?" He stammered.

"I'm a _mother. _Mothers know _everything _about their children, Lelouch," Marianne chided.

"E-Everything? Then that means you and C.C. have stalked me for years!" Lelouch exclaimed in horror. "You mean...C.C. is a spy?"

"Don't overreact, Lelouch. You should have known that something like this was happening. C.C. should have told you at least a bit."

"C.C. never told me anything like this!" Lelouch snapped. Honestly, was this woman really his mother? He never remembered his mother being this...puerile. It was so unlike her.

"Are you sure you're really my mother?"

"Yes, I'm sure I am, Lelouch. Now can we please stop having the same annoying conversation over and over!"

"Where are you taking me?" Lelouch said.

"That's obvious, isn't it? I'm bringing you to see Euphemia," She said before winking. "Have you told her that you like her yet?"

"Idiot! She's my sister!" Lelouch cried. "It's not like I can say that to her...so, um...casually!"

"Oh, so you DO like her. I was right!" Marianne chirped. Suddenly, she felt another spasm come on. Anya was fighting her again.

"Lelouch...Anya is trying to regain control of her own mind. I can't let her take over. Then she'll want to bring you over to the Emperor. I won't let that happen. Besides, Charles doesn't hate you as much as you think he does. He's merely testing you. He adores you and Nunnally the most, you know." She said as she struggled to fight off the pinkette, only to fail.

"Mother! What's wrong? You've got to be kidding! Nunnally and I were not his favorites!" Lelouch cried.

Marianne chuckled. "You've got everything wrong, Lelouch. Charles loves you both very much. That's why he and I have decided to do something to change this petty, disgusting world into a place that will be better for all of us...just like you intend to do with your Black Knights." She coughed again as she felt herself starting to lose control again.

"Mother, don't go!" Lelouch cried. It was too late, though. The geass around Anya's eyes faded and she blinked for a few moments before she frowned at the masked terrorist beside her.

"Why is Zero in my Knightmare with me? Did I capture him?" She deadpanned. "I must've captured you, then. Even though I don't remember having done so."

* * *

_Crap, this is definitely NOT good. I have to get her back to being like my mother, or else...things will become bad. Very bad. Can I use geass on her or not? I think I can. I mean, she's been affected by a possession one, but I think I can make her obey me. _

Carefully, Lelouch opened the side of his mask up to reveal his uncontrollable Geass.

She stared at it for a moment. "Why is your eye red? Do you have pinkeye or something?"

"No. I need you to do something for me. I order you to keep on driving and take me to see Princess Euphemia."

He waited for a few moments.

She nodded her head. "Okay. You didn't have to be demanding about it, Zero. What? Do you want to kiss her or something?"

Lelouch blushed underneath the mask, but continued on. _Why didn't Geass work on her? Dammit, Mother! _

"Of course I'm not in love with her or anything," Lelouch said before closing the visor. Honestly, had he really geassed her or not? Because it was honestly too hard to tell with a person like Anya. He stared at her eyes. They were their usual red. They weren't rimmed in red. His deduction was correct. Apparently he couldn't use Geass on someone like her.

_ShitShitShitShitShit this will not be good. _

"Why don't you take off your mask, Zero? I'd love to see who you are. I won't tell anyone." Before he could stop her, Anya was already reaching for his mask and struggling to pull it off.

* * *

"Stop it! Don't touch the mask!" Lelouch cried, pleading that his mother come and help him, before he realized just how ridiculous that statement sounded. His mother would have probably enjoyed torturing him like this, so asking _her_ for help was pointless, especially when she was only able to possess people's minds.

"Why are you so touchy about your true identity, Mr. Zero? Maybe you're a really ugly guy underneath that mask? Maybe you're even a princess? Perhaps you're Princess Euphemia?"

"I'm not a female!" Lelouch screamed. Despite the fact that he was quite effeminate in appearance...he definitely was not a girl.

"How am I sure you're not a woman! Okay, I'll check by removing every article of clothing you have on!"

"N-No...that's not necessary!" Lelouch protested. "I'm a man. I swear."

"You're so weird. Who cares about having their identity hidden, anyway? I tell everyone EVERYTHING about me on my blog. No one's gonna like, stalk me and kill me or something." Anya said monotonously.

Lelouch started to chuckle deeply and then he laughed. Anya stared at him in surprise.

"I don't really like your laughter. It's obnoxious," She said. "Please shut up."

"You don't tell someone to please shut up, you tell them to be quiet!"

"Same thing, you moron," Anya said dully. "I don't really feel like arguing with a terrorist."

"I'm not a terrorist!"

"Oh, I must have been mistaken by your outfit, then. Clearly you must be an artist or something. Show me your paintings, Mr. Artist." She said dryly.

"I'm Zero. But I really need you to stop touching my mask," He pleaded. What was with women, anyway? Were they all this insane?

"I think I see your briefs. You _are_ a man!" She said in surprise.

"Shut up and stop screwing around with me!" Lelouch cried. Was this day going to get any better soon? He sure hoped so.

* * *

Nunnally frowned as she sat near Sayoko, who was watching the news. "Miss Sayoko, when will my brother call back? I miss him."

Sayoko's eyes widened and she smiled. "I am sure Master Lelouch is fine, Lady Nunnally."

"Are you sure?"

* * *

Shirley frowned as she stared at her desk in her room. She was sure that Lelouch was Zero, but there was no proof.

"Shirley, dear, are you all right?" Her mother asked before stepping in the room.

"I'm fine."

"You worry me a lot. Tell me you won't die on me like my husband. Don't leave me," She begged before pulling Shirley into a hug and then sobbing.

"Mom...nothing bad will happen to me, I promise," Shirley said reassuringly. Somehow, she felt like she had to know where Lelouch was. But where could he possibly be?


	20. Chapter 20 Cataclysm of Despair

A/N:Sorry for the wait! I really wanted to update this story and I think now is the perfect chance!

Chapter 20 Cataclysm of Events

* * *

Milly Ashford knew many things in this world, and most of all, the thing she knew the most was that many people had secrets they did not wish to reveal to the world. She knew this well, as she had her fair share of secrets to hide. However, it wasn't like she would spill them to people. Everyone had their vulnerable side, and she was no exception.

However, she liked to hide that persona under a cheery mask of happiness and act like everything was all right when it wasn't. Right now, she was really starting to lose that mask, the casual nonchalance was fading away to reveal the tension and nervousness that lurked beneath it. The cause of that anxiety was simple. It only was caused by one person and one person only: Lelouch.

Things had never been the same for the Student Council since Lelouch had left their school and joined the Royal Family. The other students had kept on pressing for information about why Lelouch had left, and what they actually knew about his past until Milly was forced to spill a lot of secrets and tell them to keep their big mouths shut, but they had obviously done a poor job of that, because by now everyone in Ashford Academy knew he was a prince.

So, her poor childhood friend had no safety anymore. She had practically failed in her job to protect him from the very demons that plagued his every step, haunted his every nightmare, and she regretted it deeply, every day of her life.

Everyone else was affected deeply. Shirley had grown more quiet and less talkative for some reason, Rivalz had stopped asking about Lelouch after his attempts at calling the latter were unsuccessful, Nunnally had grown lonely and had been unused to being without her brother for such a long time, and her? She herself deeply missed Lelouch every moment of every day.

Did he even realize how much he meant to people? Did he even stop at all during this new life of his to think about them at all, or was he engulfed by the fame and the popularity and the overwhelming sensation of being in elements beyond his control?

At this very moment, he could be entertaining a beautiful young woman with dinner and talking at length about his attempts to stop Zero from destroying the Special Zone and how he was going to kill the traitor who had tried to hurt his precious sister. He was probably having the time of his life.

* * *

Lelouch was definitely NOT having the time of his life. The crazy pink-haired girl kept on trying to take off his mask, and that just annoyed the crap out of him. However, it did distract her driving a little, which gave him an idea. _I think I know how I can get out of this situation._

He leaned over a little into her ear and then he whispered, "Hand me your phone and let me go, otherwise I destroy it."

She screamed. "Don't destroy it!"

"Why not?" Lelouch asked. He hated those things. They were so annoying and obnoxious. Loud noise disrupted his thoughts. No wonder he fell asleep in school. It was always just right...just quiet enough for him to nod off to sleep to, and just loud enough for a teacher or one of his classmates, like Shirley or Rivalz, to notice. He reminded himself sharply that he was not going to reflect on the former carefree days he had once shared with them.

He couldn't return to their side now. Not with his out-of-control geass. Shirley, Suzaku, and Kallen, as well as Euphy, were fine to be around, as he had already geassed them once. He didn't want to geass Milly, Rivalz, or Nina. He didn't have to worry about Nunnally since she was blind, but he never wanted his sister to witness him using such an awful power in the first place.

His sister would never forgive him if she learned he was Zero. That was why he wanted her to stay at the Academy, where she was the safest. Away from danger, away from royal assassins...able to lead a normal life. Something Lelouch had always longed for, but had never really obtained, much like reaching out for the sun.

He had never exactly been normal.

"Because...it's the only thing that makes me feel real! All of my memories are recorded on there! I can't remember half of my life, so that phone is my life to me! Please don't destroy it! I'll let you go!" Anya pleaded, her red eyes filled with tears.

Lelouch stared at her for a moment and then he made his decision. He decided to contact Euphemia, but she wouldn't pick up her phone. He frowned, and then he decided to contact C.C.

"C.C, it's me! Hurry up and save me!"

A faint chuckle came over the line.

_"So, I heard you had a fun ride with Marianne?" _

"Shut up. First of all, why didn't you tell me that my mother was still alive?" Lelouch demanded into the phone.

"You have a MOTHER, Zero?" Anya asked in fascination.

_God, is this girl stupid? _

"_Lelouch, be careful. The Black Knights have been looking for you. I'll be there shortly. Let me try to contact Marianne and get her to resurface again." _

"Help me? You don't even want to help me unless it has to do with you getting a whole bunch of pizza," Lelouch scoffed.

"_Don't die on me, Lelouch," She said, and then the line went dead._

Lelouch frowned and studied the phone for a moment. His eyes widened as he saw that the other Knights of the Round were surrounding them, coming closer.

"Hand over Zero!" Bismarck ordered.

"I'm sorry, but he is my prisoner now." Anya said before hugging Lelouch. "My dear boy, we will have lots of fun!"

"Good god, why did I wish that you were alive?" Lelouch muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing," The legendary masked terrorist Zero said, terrified of two things and two things only:his mother and his father. Who'd have ever guessed he'd be afraid of his MOTHER?

* * *

Nunnally couldn't eat her dinner. She was too worried about her brother to really worry about filling up her own stomach. What was wrong with her brother? Why hadn't he talked to her in days?

The phone rang. Her heart jumped in her throat.

She heard Sayoko pick it up.

"Hello? Yes...this is...Master Lelouch is out for a bit."

Nunnally raised an eyebrow, wondering what was going on. She wasn't really that stupid now.

"Oh...you say you know Nunnally personally? I'll let you talk to her, then."

Nunnally spoke into the receiver: "Hello?"

"_It's been a while, Nunnally." _

A smile broke out on her face. "A-Alice?"

_"How've you been?" _

* * *

Schneizel raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so something's happened over in The Special Zone? I knew it was pointless for Euphie's idealistic dream to flourish. Ah, well...man's history is nothing but rife with war, right Kanon?"

"I suppose so, your Highness," He said nervously.

Schneizel smiled ambiguously. "The Black Knights are no longer useful in my plan. Sad to say, they must be eliminated, for being enemies to peace. Ah, well. At least Zero will die with them as well."

"But sir, didn't you say that was the point of the idea? Aren't you going to consider Euphemia's opinion?" Kanon protested.

"Her? She's a complete and utter airhead who can't really do anything. She's outlived her usefulness, but she could be more or less inclined to obey me if I tell her that Zero has decided to destroy her reputation. So what if it's a lie? The media will swallow it right up."

"But that's not right!"

"You swore loyalty to Britannia, right?"

"Yes, sir," Kanon said reluctantly.

* * *

"Euphie...I hope you're still alive." Lelouch whispered.


	21. Chapter 21 The ebbing flow of despair

**A/N:Time for the next chappie of this story! Expect a quick chapter today! Let's see how many alerts and faves there are for this story now...hmm, 182 favorites and 179 alerts. WOW, keep it up, guys! 106 reviews and 85,306 hits! This story is even mentioned on google search, though it's mentioned by its old name. I changed the name since it sucked. Hopefully, I can write my way out of the corner this story has taken me, but since it's my most popular, I'll try to update as much as I can! No, this Alice is not a giant rabbit wielding a scythe. **

**Chapter 21 The ebbing current of despair **

* * *

A blond-haired girl frowned as she studied her cell phone. She hadn't heard from her best friend Nunnally for a while, so she decided to contact her and see how the girl was doing. Sure enough, it turned out that her older brother had been rediscovered by the Royal Family and had been swallowed up by their regime again.

Alice didn't have a very high opinion of the nobles, but Nunnally was different. She was her closest friend, and didn't even consider her a cursed being...like most of the humans in the world did. Her red eyes opened for a moment as she pondered over how distorted and strange her world had become since she had met Nunnally.

She had transferred to Ashford Academy in order to try to maintain a pretense of leading a normal life-which was a contradiction in and of itself, since she was attached to something that made her less than human-and had found very few friends and admirers. Not that she was surprised-many Britannians tended to be too absorbed in their own wealth to really notice or care about others besides themselves, while the Numbers were too busy trying to stay alive to do anything else.

Which was why she was surprised when a blind girl in a wheelchair, of all people imaginable, was the one who had come up to her and introduced herself and asked her what her name was. Someone had noticed her, someone actually _cared _enough to invite her into the human world of society, and away from the whispers and cold harsh stares of her society.

As a child, her parents had feared her, called her a monster, called her inhuman-they had even thrown her out on the streets and left her to die. Alone and lost she had wandered, until she had finally met someone who had promised her hope in the form of the curse known as Geass. Like a fool, she had naïvely accepted and then her world had become darker rather than brighter, as she'd hoped for.

But then the angel who cloaked herself in the disguise of darkness had appeared, beckoning her to come and see her other fellow angels. Then her life had actually begun to shine for once, until a few months ago, when she had been called back out onto the battlefield. Her employers-or dictators-had told her that she was needed again for service. Regardless of how she felt about it-orders were orders, and she suppressed any thoughts or complaints.

"_Alice, is something wrong?" _The voice of the angel on the other end said, as pure as it had ever been since the day they had first met each other.

Alice shook her head, trying hard to rid herself of the memories, of the things she must not remember. "No, it's nothing. Are you worried about your brother? I can tell that he's all you think about, Nunnally."

Her friend paused. She could only imagine what expression was on her sweet little face. Anxiety, perhaps? Fear? Anger? Terror? She could only imagine what she must be feeling right now.

She continued speaking, deciding to comfort her lonely and afraid friend, because she too also felt the same way, alone, afraid, and dejected. She never wanted Nunnally to feel that way. Nunnally had a brother who would give the world for her, she had friends who were loyal until the end, unlike Alice, who had no one.

"_Yes, but I can't help but wonder if you're the one who's hurting, not me." _

She did it again. How did she know when someone was hurting emotionally? It wasn't like she had a geass-she hadn't told her a thing about Geass or Eden Vital-a sweet girl should not be tainted by something like that-or did _she_ possess one?

"Nunnally, I'm just fine. When will your brother come back home?"

More silence ensued. "Nunnally?" She asked again, hoping her friend would answer.

The voice was soft and still, only this time laced with tears. "_I don't know anymore. Big Brother lies to me. He says he'll be home and yet he never shows up. Where is he at, Alice? Does he even care anymore?" _

Alice wondered how long Nunnally had been keeping these negative feelings stored up inside of her. Had she felt this way all her life and hidden it behind a smile, or had she always voiced her feelings? Something told her that her first guess was right. Nunnally wasn't the sort of person to burden others with her feelings.

That was also a problem. "Nunnally, I'm here for you. Lelouch hasn't forgotten about you and he still cares."

Sobs could still be heard, but she sounded happier. "_Are you sure?" _

Alice winked. "Am I ever wrong?"

"_Thank you for listening, Alice." _Then Alice hung up, unwilling to say any more to her friend.

If Alice truly wasn't human, why did she feel like crying just now?

* * *

Schneizel studied the chess board, staring at some of his pieces. He knocked the queen off of the table, and watched as it fell to the floor. "Ah, dear sweet Euphie, you have outlived your usefulness. I really do not care whether you live or die, dear sister."

Euphemia was so easy to manipulate. Others, such as Lelouch, were harder to control, and as such, they had to be, well...one could say, whipped into shape. These things took time. Manipulativeness was something one had to be born with. It was a gift...he thought.

"Lelouch...Zero, how will you two fare against each other in battle? I look forward to the day my interesting brother brings home Zero's head."

He smirked as he threw the piece in the fire and watched it burn. "Soon, Euphemia will only be a memory in people's minds. No one will worry about her anymore. This Zone was all a joke."

* * *

Euphemia couldn't believe how much her dreams had fallen apart. Why hadn't it worked? Why the heck was everyone killing even when she proposed a better, more mature solution? Were humans really that immature?

Her purple eyes widened upon seeing his number printed on her cell phone. She picked it up and thought about answering before shutting it. She heard it ring again and answered.

"_Euphie, I need help. I'm about to be captured by the Knights of the Round!" _

Euphemia frowned. Everything had gone wrong due to Lelouch, yet a part of her told her not to doubt in her brother. She loved him, after all. She had to believe in her brother.

"...Lelouch, I must know something." She spoke softly.

Lelouch seemed to be listening, if the static on the other end was a good indication.

"...Do you see me as a tool, or do you love me?"

Lelouch gasped. "_What?" _

Euphemia continued. "You heard me. You've used me and practically murdered everyone due to your stupid publicity stunt. What am I supposed to do now?"

Lelouch sighed. "Go into hiding with Nunnally. Better yet, just stay with Suzaku. He'll keep you safe. Yes, _of course_ I love you. You're my sister and my closest friend. Would I ever want to harm you?"

Euphemia smiled. "But, I meant more than that-"

Lelouch blushed deeply. "Ahem, never mind, let's change the subject-hey, stop looking at me like that. Don't you take the phone-mo-er, _Anya_, give that back!"

Euphemia raised an eyebrow at the odd exchange over the phone line.

"_Hello there, Euphie-muffin! How've you been, darling? Is Cornball still doing well?" _

"Do I know you?" Euphemia stammered, a little shocked at how she knew those personal-and embarrassing nicknames.

"Know me? I'm a member of the Knights of the Round!"

"Give me the phone back!"

Lelouch was back on a moment later. "Euphemia, hide with Suzaku until further notice. I'm going to have to get out of here. First, I must change out of my Zero garb and into my royal attire."

"Lelouch, won't that attract suspicion?" Euphemia asked.

"Someone else is already playing the role of Zero. I just need to give her the signal and then she'll help me out." Lelouch said as he took his Knightmare off the main road and to a secluded spot...until they were ambushed by a white and gold Knightmare.

"Zero, what have you done with Euphie?" A familiar voice screamed.

'Suzaku, of all times, why must you choose now to interfere?'

"Ah, if it isn't Kururugi Suzaku, the foolish Knight of Justice. The one who foolishly serves the Britannian Empire, the relic of forgotten ages and a travesty for the world to see. Now, if you'll just excuse me, I must go find Prince Lelouch."

"I won't let you hurt Lelouch!" Suzaku cried and then charged at his foe, knocking his Knightmare over. Lelouch realized then that he was trapped. He had no choice but to surrender. He stepped out of the Knightmare, still wearing his mask.

"What an honor it is to meet you, Fool." Lelouch taunted.

"Take off that mask now." Suzaku demanded.

"Sorry, I can't." Lelouch said, praying that something would happen to deter his friend from unmasking him. The one who ruined that moment was 'Anya' who chose that moment to remove his mask, exposing him to Suzaku.

Suzaku gaped from inside the Lancelot as he stared at the face of Zero. "L-Lelouch?"

_'Dammit, this isn't good.'_


	22. Chapter 22 Old Friend or Old Foe

**A/N:Yay, update time! This is my most popular story, people, and the hits and favorites don't lie. On top of that, even my favorite author, Lilyflower1987, has alerted this. That's reason enough to celebrate. When I saw that, I felt like passing out. Her/his story "Lelouch of the Revolution" is amazing. I feel like reading it again. **

**Chapter 21 An old friend or old foe?**

* * *

Suzaku Kururugi honestly couldn't believe his eyes. How was this possible? His best friend, Lelouch, was...Zero the terrorist. This had to be a bad dream, or else a nightmare. If so, then he really wanted to wake up from it, but now, the only thing that told him that this wasn't a dream was the look on Lelouch's face.

Lelouch looked horrified. Evidently, Lelouch hadn't wanted Suzaku to find out that he was Zero. Suddenly, everything Euphemia had done these past few months made sense. How evasive she had been whenever talking about Zero, how Zero and Euphie seemed to be quite close, and how she seemed to defend him so much. It all made sense now. Still, there were many questions in his mind, and none of them were pleasant ones.

"Why?"

The word came out of his mouth slowly. He waited for Lelouch to respond, to say anything, even do anything, but all he got back was silence. Dead and utter silence, which scared him. Why wasn't he saying anything?

* * *

Then finally he made a sound. He started to..._laugh. _It was a cold, dark laugh, and hearing it coming from Lelouch of all people caused Suzaku to shiver. It made Suzaku think his friend was...insane or something. Was he really insane? Lelouch had never come across to him as the insane type.

Then he relaxed and a smirk made its way on his face, only it was a cold one. "I see you, too, have figured out that I am Zero. Yes, I am Zero, Suzaku. It was only a matter of time before you would find out, after all. But to think now, of all times imaginable, you would find out...how inconvenient."

"Lelouch, why are you Zero?" Suzaku asked, honestly bewildered at how...different his friend was acting. This seemed entirely...unlike him. This persona was something new to him. Who was this person before him?

"...You know why, Suzaku. There's something wrong with Britannia, and it needs to be obliterated." The words were cold and methodical. "Besides, you wouldn't know if _she _hadn't been so goddamned stupid."

A certain pinkette tried hard to stifle her laughter. Lelouch flashed a glare at her, which only caused her to laugh even more. "I couldn't resist the opportunity to do so, Lelouch. You know how grouchy you are. It's actually really fun to torture you."

"Mo-er, Anya, that's enough out of you! I don't need _you _tormenting me as well! Suzaku now knows who I am thanks to your little prank!" Lelouch growled, not wishing to reveal to Suzaku that his mother was still alive, because then he would have to explain his geass to him.

"So, she did this to you on purpose?" Suzaku said in bewilderment, unable to believe that a member of the Knights of the Round was capable of such things. Weren't they supposed to be all about justice?

"Yes, Suzaku. Now is not the time to discuss my motives for being Zero. We are in a bad situation here. Not only am I unable to appear before the public as Lelouch vi Britannia due to...unforeseen circumstances, I am now being held hostage by one of the Knights of the Round."

Suzaku stared at the pinkette, who was acting rambunctious and silly, a stark contrast to her usual moody, sullen self. "I dunno...it almost seems like she's a different person, Lelouch."

Lelouch chuckled. "You could see it that way. Now, if you don't mind me, I'll be headed on my way now. I have a princess to save."

"Lelouch, you will explain everything to me right now or else I'll hand you over to the authorities." Suzaku threatened.

Lelouch chuckled darkly. "Really now? Would you really be able to go through with that, I wonder? I am your friend, you know."

Suzaku's fists tightened. "Since you're Zero, that means you're responsible for the Black Knights massacring the Japanese. Did you order them to do that, Lelouch? Why would you do such a reprehensible thing?"

* * *

Lelouch groaned. "Suzaku, I am in more trouble than I have ever been in before. The last thing I need is _to have that subject brought up again. _The answer is no, that was not my intention at all. I did want to bring about peace, but that dream of Euphemia's sadly has ceased to be. We have to end this at all costs. Now the SAZ is turning into a war zone and everyone is fighting amongst themselves, like they were before. You see how Euphemia's childish ways have brought about more chaos than she intended?"

Suzaku glared at him. "Don't you dare insult Euphie. Lelouch, she is your half-sister. Don't you care about her welfare?"

"Of course I do, you idiot. Suzaku, you are as foolish as she is. You both dream of peace, and yet you are using the wrong methods to get there. Sometimes you have to dirty your hands if you want to achieve the right things."

Suzaku hit his forehead. "Lelouch, you're telling me that you're trying to justify the massacre going on now. Am I wrong?"

Lelouch shook his head. He'd had enough of Suzaku's idiotic ways. "Look, Suzaku, for the last time, it was a freaking accident. I couldn't control my Geass and it led to this!"

"What's Geass?" Suzaku asked. Anya chuckled darkly.

"Looks like you'll have to explain everything to him, Lelouch. How good of you to slip up like that." Marianne said.

"You little-"

"That's not the way to talk to your betters, Lelouch. Didn't I raise you to have better manners than that? I'm sure Nonnie would be quite disappointed if she-"

"Don't bring that woman up around me, Mother. You know how much I hate her." Lelouch snapped.

Suzaku blinked in confusion at the two arguing figures. "What the hell is going on here? Why are you calling her mother? That's just Anya Alstreim, one of the Knights of the Round. Why would you think she was your mother?" He asked.

"Oh, but I _am, _Suzaku-kun! Lelouch has told me all about you! How you two met and became friends a long time ago, how you used to fight a whole lot, and how you're in love with Euphie!"

Suzaku's face turned three shades of red. "Look, that's not true. I don't know who told you that, but whoever told you, they're wrong. There's nothing between us."

"Really? That's not what C.C. told me. She's told me a lot of things."

"I'm going to have a talk with that stupid witch when I find her for lying to me," Lelouch growled under his breath.

"So, who are you, if you're not Anya Alstreim, then?" Suzaku said in irritation. Clearly, he wanted to get this conversation over with as soon as possible.

The girl's face lit up. "My name is Marianne vi Britannia, at your service." She danced a little, ignoring Lelouch's surprised look.

Suzaku's reaction was hilarious. His mouth dropped open ten feet before he managed to gain control of his mouth again and speak. "Really?"

"Yes, really. Would I lie to you, Suzaku-kun?"

"Mother, would you stop with the annoying nicknames?" Lelouch growled. "I need to get out of here as fast as possible before the other Knights track us down."

"So, how did your mother come to be in Anya's body."

Lelouch sighed. "I'll explain later."

* * *

Suddenly, a Knightmare approached them. Lelouch sighed in relief upon seeing that it was his own. "C.C. has come." He said before smirking.

"Who's C.C.?" Suzaku asked in annoyance, wondering just how much the prince of Britannia was hiding from him.

"You'll see soon enough," Lelouch replied cryptically. "Here she comes."

Sure enough, the voice of C.C. came over the intercom. "I see Marianne has captured you, Lelouch. Shall I save you?"

Lelouch chuckled as he put the mask back on. "Rescue me? I needed you here before, and you weren't here, witch. Where were you?"

"I had other problems," She said vaguely as he climbed into the cockpit.

"Wherever it is you're going, I'm coming with you!" Suzaku the pest cried as he climbed into his Knightmare and started it up.

"No, Suzaku. This is a fight I must fight alone."

"Why do you have to do everything on your own, Lelouch? Can't you let other people in and help you out? You can't do everything yourself."

Lelouch chuckled again. "The funny thing is, Cornelia said the same thing to me. I'd better get in touch with her."

"Won't she think you're suspicious wearing Zero's outfit?" Suzaku said dumbly.

"I never said I was going in my costume, Suzaku. You do realize she'd have a heart attack and die on the spot if she saw me in this, don't you?" Lelouch said sarcastically.

Suzaku frowned. "You don't have to insult my intelligence, you know."

"Hmph, you should have gotten used to it by now, Suzaku. You _have_ known me for seven years, after all," Lelouch whined.

"Lelouch, now isn't the time to whine. We have to save Euphie, remember?"

"Who sent the Knights of the Round in, Mother?" Lelouch asked the pinkette as she climbed back into her vehicle.

"Why, Schneizel did. He ordered us to find the Black Knights and kill them if necessary. Though he ordered Anya, he didn't order me." She explained briefly.

Lelouch smirked. "So, Schneizel, you've played your part, huh? You challenge me to a game of chess once more, eh? Well, it's obvious he doesn't know that I'm Zero, but I must do all I can to stop him."

"You played against Prince Schneizel?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes. I always beat Clovis, but I could never beat Cornelia or Schneizel. That tells you how much of a threat they pose to me."

"Still, he is your brother, Lelouch. What will you do when you defeat him?" Suzaku asked.

The silence between them told him all he needed to know.

"You wouldn't really...would you?" Suzaku said in disbelief.

"Yes, I would, if I had no other choice, Suzaku. I don't feel any connection to my "family"." Lelouch said coldly.

This response was no surprise to Suzaku, C.C. and Marianne. C.C. always knew about Lelouch's grudge against the Royal Family, and shrugged.

* * *

"Zero, so there you are! I've been waiting to meet you!" A familiar voice said.

Lelouch noticed a familiar Knightmare waiting for them. "Crap...it's Nonnette." He said.

"Would you happen to know where Prince Lelouch is? Our orders were to kill you and save him, but if you refuse, I will use force." She said, smiling slightly.

Lelouch knew that this time, she wasn't teasing him. She really would try to hurt him in this state. He laughed. "You fool. You honestly think you can take on Zero the Miracle Maker? I'll show you the error of your ways!"

"I'll show you the error of your ways! Oh, hi, Annie darling. How are you?" Nonnette said, staring at the Mordred.

Marianne flinched from inside the Mordred. "Just fine, I guess." She said dully, trying her best to act like Anya.

"That's hard to do, isn't it, Mother?" Lelouch muttered under his breath. C.C. chuckled.

"Well, boy. How are you going to get yourself out of this mess?"

Lelouch smirked then. A plan had just come to his mind, and it was guaranteed to work. "C.C., I am going to use a plan that will require the presence of both Zero and Lelouch vi Britannia. To do so, I will need you to..."

"You need me to play the part again, don't you?" She said dully. "Very well, then." She stopped as Lelouch took off the mask and handed it to her. He then took off most of Zero's clothes and handed them to her. "Don't you think my chest will stick out?"

Lelouch blushed. He was dressed in the last part of the Zero costume, something that would be a little less recognizable since it was hidden under the main part of the costume. 'The only one who would recognize it would be Euphemia,' He thought. A smirk crossed his face.

"Now, to start the game."


	23. Chapter 23 Roll of the dice

**A/N:Time for the next chapter to this story. Lately, I've been put under pressure by the people in my life, so the updates may come not AS frequent as I want them to be. Some idiots in my life are causing trouble for me...so I want to get things over with. Nonnette is going to appear...let's just say there's someone in my life who is a **_**lot **_**like her. I do wish she would appear in the anime and scare the crap out of Lelouch and Cornelia. It would be _quite_ entertaining. **

**Chapter 23 Roll of the dice **

* * *

Lelouch was nervous as he changed out of his Zero clothing into some of his princely gear. He hoped this plan would work. If things went like he predicted they would, he would be safe and free to continue his crusade...but then he had to explain his Geass. His eyes widened then as C.C. handed him something...it was a contact. "Where did you-"

"It's happened before to my contractors," She said vaguely, "Don't let anyone see your eye. I'll be just fine."

Suzaku seemed to have been listening in. "What's wrong with your eye, Lelouch?"

Lelouch froze at the mention of the taboo subject. He really didn't want to have to explain this to his friend. "There's nothing wrong with it."

"Really now?" Suzaku sounded skeptical on the end of the line. Lelouch knew he wanted answers out of him sooner rather than later-he just hoped it didn't have to be soon. Lately, the noose around his freedom seemed to be tightening and he prayed it would be a little while longer before he would have no choice but to spill everything to him.

What would happen if Cornelia learned he was Zero? Lelouch shuddered, inwardly knowing she'd be very angry, displeased and most of all, ashamed. Ashamed that her precious half-brother had betrayed their side by joining with the filthy Elevens-at least, that was how she would see it.

'I hope she never finds out,' He thought with a shudder as he handed some of his clothing to C.C. The witch smirked; evidently she loved seeing him get screwed over at times like this. Lelouch merely rolled his eyes at her annoying attitude.

"Suzaku, I'm sure everything will be just fine," Lelouch reassured his friend. He knew Suzaku was still extremely wary of him after learning he was Zero-and who wouldn't be? Really, _knowing _your best friend was a terrorist of all things was extremely nerve-wracking in and of itself.

"Are you sure?" Suzaku said suspiciously, and Lelouch knew he was not off the hook from his friend just yet.

* * *

'I'll have to cook up a suitable excuse later. Right now, I have my own part to play in this game.' He smirked inwardly. Right now, everyone else was a pawn in his hands-it was a chess match between him and the Emperor.

He could picture that man sitting there on his precious throne, gloating over his victory-he had managed to encase Zero in a prison of his own making, and in return had made it all but impossible for Lelouch to even run away from the Royal Family. He had been a fool to fall for Euphemia's deal.

Euphemia didn't realize that she was being pulled on a string by her cruel, malicious father, but the sooner she realized that, the better. For her own sake, or else something else would have to happen to open her eyes to reality-and happen, it had. He had caused a massacre of the Japanese-it was all his fault that her plans had gone to ruin and that now she was a puppet.

Who was he kidding, his siblings were _all_ puppets in the Emperor's hand. _Even_ Schneizel-clever, ambitious Schneizel, who esteemed he was above the deeds of his father, was exactly as that man wanted him to be.

Was Lelouch vi Britannia a puppet in his Father's hands? The answer had always been yes. His "loving" father had known from the start that he was Zero, and had blackmailed him into this position against his own will. The only thing he could do now was turn the tables and make it so his father would lose a game he wanted to win.

'Just you wait, "Father." When next we meet, I shall eliminate you from this Earth, and then Nunnally and I...can be truly happy.'

* * *

"Zero, this is your last warning," Nonnette's cheerfree voice called out, but she definitely wasn't cheerfree towards the enemy of the Empire. Somehow, she sounded even more scary than when she was harassing him and torturing him like she usually did. In her eyes, he was now the renegade Zero, in other words, vermin who did not deserve to live.

C.C. gasped all of a sudden as she lurched forward, "Lelouch...I sense a strong Geass nearby."

Lelouch looked up at her, confused about what she was implying. "What do you mean?"

Lelouch noticed that there was a new Knightmare approaching them, and it was rather swift, too. It managed to skirt the other Knightmares before it stopped in front of Lelouch's Knightmare.

"Zero..." The pilot spoke, evidently female, "I have come to deliver you to the Emperor."

"That's our duty," Nonnette protested.

"I'm a member of the Irregulars. We're specially authorized by the Emperor himself." The female said. "Zero, will you come peacefully?"

Lelouch nodded slowly, wondering who this girl was and what she was up to.

He followed her Knightmare-as did Suzaku, who still wanted answers out of him.

"That girl's incredibly fast," Suzaku said, "No Knightmare can normally go that fast."

'What is she?' Lelouch thought, 'Her machine is unbelievably fast. She can even outdo Suzaku's Lancelot.'

"That girl is the Geass user I spoke of before, Lelouch. The Irregulars use Geass in battle in their Knightmare Frames." C.C. said.

Alice smirked. 'I have you now, Zero, and C.C.' She had a good inkling of who was under the mask-presumably a Japanese who hated Britannia. 'I can also save Nunnally's brother, Lelouch.'

* * *

They went to a desolate area and the girl got out of her Knightmare frame to show a petite blond with red eyes. "Come out with your hands up, Zero, C.C. Your capture is essential for the Emperor."

Nervously, Lelouch decided to get his own costume back and he switched with C.C. Both of them stepped out. Suzaku raised a brow upon seeing C.C. 'Who is she, exactly?'

"Suzaku Kururugi, this has nothing to do with you. Please stand aside. Nunnally also desires the safe return of her brother Prince Lelouch."

'Nunnally?' Upon hearing this, Lelouch started to laugh hysterically. Since his voice was changed due to the mask, all who heard it thought it sounded rather demonic.

"So you've lost your mind already, Zero. I figured a criminal of your caliber would not be sane. Now please give Lelouch over to me."

Suzaku interfered. "No, you can't-"

"Suzaku, it's okay," Lelouch whispered.

"Lelouch, no-" Suzaku said. As much as he despised the fact that his friend was Zero, for him to be taken away now was not right.

"This will work out to my advantage," Lelouch said as he stepped out, C.C. by his side.

"Where is Prince Lelouch? Last I checked, Lelouch did not have green hair and golden eyes," She said sarcastically.

"If it isn't Alice. I didn't think we'd meet again," C.C. said dully.

"The pleasure's mine. Now where is Lelouch, Zero? Did you already kill him? Unmask yourself at once. I want to see who you are before I kill you myself." She said before pointing a gun at him.

"That's not something that a girl should wield," Lelouch whispered.

"Unmask or I shoot." She said, her voice a deathly calm.

"All right, all right," Lelouch chuckled as he started to unmask. "But you'll be shocked, Miss Alice."

* * *

Alice gasped as she saw who was beneath. "_Prince Lelouch?" _

Lelouch laughed again, something that he found quite useful for intimidation. "Yes, Miss Alice, it is I, the one and only revenant Prince of Britannia, Lelouch. Any other questions? How is Nunnally?"

Alice's hands shook and she nearly dropped her gun. "So, not only did you abandon Nunnally, you've also been lying to her."

"Yes, that's right," Lelouch said, "Everyone in this world is a pawn to me."

Suzaku sighed from inside the Knightmare. 'Lelouch is obviously bluffing here. He's pretty good at acting insane.' Could Suzaku even contemplate himself killing his only friend? Sometimes he'd seen himself in dreams killing Lelouch in cold blood-dreams where Euphie was dead, gunned down by Lelouch himself. However, Suzaku noticed how when Euphie was shot by Zero or Lelouch, he could see that Lelouch was crying as he shot her.

He didn't understand those dreams one bit. As much as he was angered and saddened that Lelouch was Zero, he would never kill him.

"You're insane. Should I tell Nunnally that her precious big brother has been using her all this time? Should I let her hear you now talking like Zero?"

Lelouch froze. "...Nunnally must never know. Everything I do is for her."

Alice remarked, "So, you want to make your little sister happy? So why not stop killing?"

"I doubt you'd understand it even if I told you. So, are you going to shoot me or not?" Lelouch said as he also pulled out his own gun and pointed it at Alice, who now looked quite nervous.

"..." She remained silent.

C.C. watched on in disbelief, hoping to God that Lelouch would not honestly do what she thought he was going to do.

Lelouch smiled at her sadly. "Thanks, C.C. It was amusing while it lasted."

A loud crack resounded through the air then.


	24. Chapter 24 the story continues

**A/N:Time for the next update!**

**Chapter 24 Misery**

Last time...

* * *

_Lelouch smiled sadly at C.C. "I'm sorry, C.C." _

_A gunshot rang through the air. _

A figure fell to the ground, crimson spreading across the earth and everything beneath it. Suzaku paused as he took in the figure lying there, dead.

"Why did you...?" Alice said, her gun smoking as she looked at the figure.

Lelouch stared at C.C. who lay there. "C.C, what was the purpose of doing that? You know full well you'll just revive yourself."

C.C. got back up and slapped him across the face. "Lelouch, how foolish can you be? You honestly think dying like that will help you or anyone else? Are you sure that you can take it if you die? The world needs Zero and the world needs Lelouch vi Britannia. Euphemia needs you, too."

Lelouch smirked. "That was all a bluff," He said before smiling.

"I thought I killed you!" Alice scolded, "How could you toy with me like that, Lelouch vi Britannia! I'll tell them all that you're Zero, even Nunnally!"

Lelouch shook his head. "Nunnally is not to find out, you understand me?" He said in annoyance, "If anything else, I'd rather keep her from the truth as long as possible."

"So you'll keep lying to her, is that it?" Alice growled, holding her gun tightly.

"Don't we all lie and keep secrets?" Lelouch asked her. "Honestly, can you tell me that we don't hold things back from each other?"

Alice thought of her dead sister and nodded reluctantly. "Yes, I suppose you're right, but I just can't help it. Zero, you need to be arrested."

Suzaku didn't know what to think anymore. "Lelouch, I'm afraid we should arrest you."

"I won't allow you to arrest Lelouch," Euphemia said.

"Euphie, where have you been?" Suzaku asked.

"Following you," Euphie said before pointing to her own Knightmare frame, that was beside them. "Lelouch, you did well. Your acting is hammy as always."

Lelouch rolled his eyes.

Euphemia just giggled at her brother's stupidity. "Lelouch, you like playing the part of an evil terrorist, don't you? But there's so much more to you than that, isn't there?" She said,.

Lelouch sighed. "Euphie, you're just as annoying now as you were seven years ago," He said, lost in the past.

Euphie just smiled slightly. "Miss Alice, I'd like to apologize for any misunderstandings between us. Lelouch and I have been doing everything for Nunnally, too. So please don't say anything."

"Euphie," Suzaku whispered, wondering why his love was doing everything she could for her brother. He felt envious, somehow...why was it that she didn't seem attracted to him anymore?

"Suzaku, are you worried about me now?" Euphemia's voice softened as she looked at her friend, knight and maybe even lover.

"Euphie, it's just...you seem awfully close to Lelouch...and I was wondering if you..."

Euphemia flushed. "I can assure you there's nothing between us," She began, wondering if she was really being honest with herself.

"Lelouch," Suzaku began, "What are you going to do now? You're cornered now. You practically have nowhere to go."

A smirk decorated Lelouch's face. "No, rather, I have a few ideas about where I could go and what I could do...isn't that right, Euphemia?"

Euphemia flushed. "The Japanese aren't exactly too happy with us at the moment."

"I can imagine why," Lelouch began, "But the game is just beginning. Isn't that right, Schneizel?"

Schneizel smirked. The game between him and Zero had just begun and he was going to emerge victorious.


	25. Chapter 25 Discovered

**A/N:Last chapter was rather short, so I thought I'd lengthen this one a little. **

**Chapter 25 Point of no return**

* * *

Cassius le Britannia couldn't be any more frustrated than at this very moment. That little commoner twerp Lelouch was still alive and their plan had failed. That brat still had his eyes set on the throne, he knew, and as far as he knew the brat would succeed. Lelouch was a big favorite of Charles zi Britannia-he knew this much from the way the Emperor had practically treated their return to the Royal Family.

For their father, of all conceivable ironies, to actually like a disgusting half-blood like Lelouch made him want to vomit. Lelouch was a threat, and he had to go, as soon as possible. This he knew. Yet his whole family seemed to have practically fallen for the little brat.

Even Schneizel loved them, for reasons that he didn't understand. He didn't understand what was so great about the vi Britannia siblings, and his sister Carline didn't, either. That was how they agreed on things. When they were children, the vi Britannia siblings had been so spoiled that it was ridiculous. That was why they had made it their royal duty to torture them as much as possible; to show them where their place was in life.

They were simple scum who didn't deserve to sit on their father's throne and the rest of the court knew that. Yet they all hailed Lelouch the moment he had returned and he was instantly a favorite of the court. He was a filthy half-blood, not even a true noble, so what right did he have to place his filthy hands upon that throne? None at all.

His little sister Carline came into the room at that moment, hands balled into fists. "That little wretch is still alive!"

"I know," Cassius said grimly. He wished Lelouch would just die, why was he so much like an annoying fly? He just wouldn't stay dead no matter what happened. "I don't get it. Why isn't he dead?"

Carline stuck her nose in the air. "He's stubborn, I'll give him that. But he does have a weakness...that air-headed sister of his. Why don't we kill her?"

"Nunnally?" Cassius said.

"No, let's kill Euphemia. Then he'll really suffer," Carline said evilly. "She's just useless; an incredibly useless girl who cannot do anything for our Father. Her only reason to be here is just as a puppet for Father to keep little Corny in check!"

A menacing voice came from behind them, "Excuse me, Carline, are you serious about what you're saying?"

Both of them turned around and froze upon seeing the Witch of Britannia standing behind them, looking furious. Instantly, fear filled the little cowards' veins.

"We were kidding," Carline lied, "Yes, kidding."

"Kidding, huh? I see..._nice try, Carline. _If you're seriously going to kill Euphemia, then I will show you no mercy even though we are siblings. No one kills my sister, is that understood? I don't want to see you snooping around either her or Lelouch." Cornelia growled.

"What if loony Lulu kills her?" Carline sneered.

"Lelouch is my brother and he is your brother, too. You are to show him nothing but respect, not pathetic insults. People like you are the reason Lady Marianne is dead."

"That old _witch_ who died in front of weak old Nunnally? The little weakling who went "blind" after the whole tragedy of seeing her mother die? Yes, that's so sad! That was probably one of the best days of my life!" Carline said euphorically. "The blood in the air smelled so good."

"I cannot forgive you for spewing such disgusting garbage!" Cornelia growled.

"Cornelia, that's enough. Let's go somewhere else now," Schneizel chided. "I'm sorry you all hate Lelouch, but that's unfortunate. Lelouch is here to stay, Carline and Cassius, and I'm afraid you two will have to overlook your prejudices."

Carline and Cassius both fumed, but stormed out the door anyway.

"Cornelia, I'm sorry you had to hear that crap," Schneizel said, "But it seems to me like people are not going to change the way they feel about Lelouch automatically."

"I know," Cornelia whispered, "But to think that Lelouch will have to hear such disgusting talk about him. How is he going to deal with it?"

Schneizel smiled at her reassuringly. "Everything will be all right, Cornelia. Lelouch is capable of handling himself just fine. You and I both know he will be all right."

Cornelia flushed. "Yes, but you know I worry about him."

Schneizel chuckled. "Lelouch is alive and all right. I have ordered Suzaku to bring him back here, alive. So all's well that ends well."

* * *

Sure enough, Suzaku appeared in the doorway, followed by Euphemia and Lelouch, who looked beaten-up, but otherwise all right. Cornelia hugged both Euphemia and Lelouch as tears of relief came out of her eyes.

"Lelouch, you naive idiot...what were you trying to do? You could have been killed!" She cried, sobbing.

Lelouch blinked. He didn't think his sister was capable of feigning tears. He smirked. "Cornelia, you're looking embarrassing in front of Euphie."

"I don't care," Cornelia said, but her eyes said otherwise. She cried a bit more as she held onto both of them.

"Sister, please don't cry, it's embarrassing." Euphemia chuckled, sort of embarrassed to see her sister acting this way towards them.

"Embarrassing? No, Euphie, what's more embarrassing is that I could've lost both you and Lelouch, so please don't die on me like Clovis did. Please, live...both of you."

Euphie looked at Lelouch, who was staring at Cornelia in complete disbelief. He had expected her to scold him, hit him, anything but hug them both and cry. Cornelia had always been stoic, so for her to cry at all was a rarity in and of itself. She was showing her human side to them. She cared for her siblings above all else.

"It's a pleasure to have you both alive, Lelouch, Euphie," Schneizel said. Lelouch merely nodded after freeing himself from Cornelia's death hug.

Euphemia bounded over to him. "Brother Schneizel, I'm glad to see you again!"

"As I am glad to see you, too, Euphie. I am relieved to see that both you and Lelouch are alive and well."

Lelouch knew full well that Schneizel was up to something...he just didn't know what he was up to. But he was going to find out, no matter what happened. He wasn't Schneizel's puppet and he was most certainly was not going to be a pawn on the battlefield.

_Schneizel, if you think you can easily manipulate me, you're mistaken. This will be the final battle between you and I, a battle to see who can use the other better. _

"See, Lelouch? They do care about us. They're not evil," Euphemia said.  
Her gaze came to rest on Carline and Cassius, who were still there.

"How come you're not dead?" Carline huffed. "Such a pity."

"The same could be said about you two," Lelouch retorted coldly. He had his hand on over his eye.

"Hurt your eye, you annoying idiot?" Cassius taunted. "That's too bad, little sissy. You gonna cry over it?"

"As a matter of fact...no, I wasn't. Rather, I'd like it if you would leave us alone. _Don't you think you would rather go outside and say those things about the Japanese to them? You probably have nothing_ better to do, after all." He said, and watched as the Geass went into both of their eyes.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, we do need to leave. Carline, let's go," Cassius droned vacantly, his eyes devoid of any emotion as they both walked out.

"Lelouch, is that your...?" Euphie asked, pointing at his geass.

"Yes, it is. In the meantime, I expect to have something to cover this with, like an eyepatch," He said.

"Lelouch, what is the state of the Special Zone right now?" Cornelia asked, but paused as she noticed Lelouch was again covering his left eye. "Lelouch, what are you hiding from me? Let me see your eye."

"I can't show you," Lelouch whispered softly.

"Lelouch, do not be so reckless!" She pried his hand away and then she gasped. "My god...Lelouch, what the hell happened to your eye?"

Sure enough, a gleaming, permanently active Geass shone in his left eye.

'Oh, no, what am I gonna do now?'


	26. Chapter 26 the promise

**A/N:Time for the next chapter. **

* * *

**Chapter 26 **

Jeremiah Gottwald was not a man of complicated values. His loyalty to Britannia was absolute and unwavering, and nothing would ever change that. He was always steadfast and loyal to the royals of Britannia because he himself was one of them and he knew better than to rebel against Britannia, though he had almost considered doing so when Lady Marianne and her children had "died."

Though now that Prince Lelouch was back, he would do everything in his power to protect him, no matter what happened to him. He was concerned about where his highness was at this precise moment. Why had he just taken off like that? It didn't make sense for him to be constantly absent like this.

Suddenly, Princess Cornelia came into the room, followed by Euphemia, and Lelouch. Relief flooded through the guard's mind upon seeing Lady Marianne's beloved son standing there, looking tired and a little bruised, but alive nonetheless, which was much better than having him be dead and never know what had happened.

"Your Highness, you're all right!" Jeremiah cried, bowing before Lelouch. "I'm so glad you're safe and sound. Your Highness, if something happened to you, I don't know what I'd do." His gaze fell on an amused Euphie. "My lady, I'm glad to see you're all right."

"The same to you as well, Lord Jeremiah," Euphemia said politely, and returned the gesture.

Lelouch just looked annoyed. "No need to be so formal around me, Gottwald. You know full well that I don't appreciate formalities and those sorts of things." But there was an amused look on his face as well, which may have indicated the opposite.

"My lord, it was all my fault, I wasn't able to find you!" Jeremiah cried out.

"Jeremiah Gottwald, you have no need to despair any longer. Lelouch and Euphemia are both safe and sound." Cornelia assured, though there was still a rough look in her eyes. "However, I am not so willing to lend a hand of forgiveness to you when you allowed Zero to escape with Kururugi."

"That was a while ago, sister! I hoped you were over that! Suzaku is not wrong!" Euphemia cried, jumping to the defense of her knight and best friend. She had never really had many people to call her best friend before. At her school, she had not been particularly close with anyone and had only been used by others just as she was now used as an adult.

Euphemia had a few friends, but not enough so that she would miss going to school. Here, in the palace, the deceit was not straightforward, but rather sneaky. People would pretend to like her when in reality, they wanted her dead over a silly thing like the royal throne.

* * *

She had never understood politics that well, and she knew her brothers and sisters found her naive because of this and assumed that she didn't know anything about the outside world. They were wrong, of course. She could hide so much that she knew by pretending to be flighty and stupid when in reality her mind was taking in everything around her, preparing to learn more.

Lelouch had taught her how to observe people when they were younger, and she had put it to good use for years. It was how she'd been able to thwart Cornelia's guards constantly, to escape to the arms of the outside world that wouldn't care whether she had royal blood coursing through her veins or not.

"Lelouch," She began, "Don't you believe Sir Gottwald to be innocent?"

A strange look flashed across Lelouch's face for a moment before his stoic mask was placed back on. "I'm not sure, Euphie. My sister usually is accurate about people who break the law. Helping Zero escape is a treason, isn't it, Sister?"

Cornelia smirked. "For a moment, I thought I was going to hear you defend Zero, since you are still so anti-Britannian, Lelouch. I'm glad that returning here has cleared you of that paranoia."

Lelouch's fists tightened, though his normal smile remained. "Yes, yes, I suppose that is right."

"Good," Cornelia said gently, though her gaze hardened as she turned to look at a scared Jeremiah, "I have no need to see traitors here, Gottwald. Resume your post and leave my sight."

"Sister!" Euphemia protested, but Lelouch placed his hand on her arm.

"Watch...this is how it works," He said softly as the man bowed and then slipped out, still as a shadow.

* * *

"Lelouch, we have a lot to talk about. Namely, now that I have placed a bandage over your eye, you are to tell me how your eye got that way and why." Cornelia said sternly.

"...I punctured it a long time ago and my eyesight has been getting worse ever since." Lelouch lied through his teeth.

"So why wasn't your eye bleeding then?" Cornelia challenged.

"Well, a lot of things happened to me before I was saved by Euphemia, sister. I lived with the Ashfords for a while before Zero captured me and tortured me. He also decided to physically torture me by stabbing my eye." Lelouch lied.

Cornelia looked sympathetic and then suspicious again. "This feels like a falsehood you are telling me, Lelouch vi Britannia. You must be truthful with me, for I am your sister."

Lelouch looked despondent upon hearing her. "I'm sorry, but I cannot tell you the simple and honest truth. It would hurt you more than words can ever say."

Euphemia said, "Lelouch, you should not say things like that. She's your sister and you have to be honest."

"Euphie, do you know something about Lelouch that you're not telling me?" Cornelia said sternly.

Both Lelouch and Euphie shifted their gazes.

"I hate this. It feels like my own siblings don't even trust me with things. Things that they should naturally go to their older sister for. Don't you remember what I told you nine years ago?" Cornelia said.

* * *

_"Cornelia, Father won't tell me anything about Mother. He has to be responsible for her death, I know it!" Lelouch said, his fists tightening in rage. Nunnally was lying unconscious in her bed. Euphemia was crying as he said those things. _

_"No, Lelouch...Marianne's death was sad. But I won't lose you three. I refuse to lose anyone else close to me. My own mother has been dead for years. She died of an illness shortly after giving birth to Euphie, my sister. For a while, I resented her, but I realize how foolish I was." _

_"Why didn't you just leave the Empire? That's the best way I can think of to stop him!" Lelouch cried. _

_"Lelouch, that sounds to me like a foolhardy decision. I wouldn't go through with that. But remember this...you two are my family. No matter what happens, I never want to lose you." _

_All three of them cried together while Nunnally lay there, unconscious. _

_"Big Sister, it's Lelouch! He's been sent to Japan! He's gone!" Euphemia wailed, flinging herself into a shocked Cornelia's arms and sobbing hysterically. _

_"How could he have been so foolish?" Cornelia said. _

_The two of them had learned of their deaths a few months later and were devastated. At that time, it never even occurred to Cornelia that the announcement of their deaths could have been feigned. _

She hugged Lelouch and Euphie. "Don't forget, I am always your older sister. So I am there for you always, forever and ever."

Euphie looked like she was about to cry. Lelouch was too shocked to speak.

"I know, you like to think you're so tough and proud, Lelouch. You never cry or show any emotion. But you have to let it out sometime. Now while I may not show my feelings to anyone outside my family, that doesn't mean I don't have them." She said softly.

"Cornelia, you're being embarrassing here." Lelouch said.

"We love you both. Don't leave us again, Lelouch. I won't lose you again. Remember that."


	27. Chapter 27 Confession

**A/N:Has it really been nearly two months since I last updated this? Oh boy, this isn't good. :/ All right, time to get around to updating! **

* * *

**Chapter 27 **The next move

"Cornelia, you do realize you're suffocating me, don't you?" Lelouch groaned, not at all happy about the fact that his older sister was crushing him under the weight of her breasts. This was one of the things he'd been afraid of when he'd re-entered the Royal Family; his own sister, which was perfectly rational, considering he was her enemy, Zero, the leader of the rebellion.

He could never trust her completely, and he knew that. He wasn't a fool. Cornelia could just as well be faking emotion as she could be sincere in it. He had reason to doubt her before, but perhaps he was starting to trust her just a little bit more...he wasn't sure if he could completely.

There was only one person who was scarier than Cornelia li Britannia could ever hope to be, and that was Nonnette Enneagram, the only person Cornelia feared. That meddlesome woman hadn't appeared for a while. Hopefully, she had returned to the Homeland, so he wouldn't have to deal with her annoying, clingy ways.

"Lelouch, listen to me. Don't hide things from me anymore. Tell me, what are you hiding and why? I'm sick of my little brother running away from me and making excuses. It's time you took your duty as a prince of Britannia more seriously!" She said sharply.

Lelouch was finally set free and backed away, suddenly afraid of her, but he decided to stand his ground. "...I have no need to return to that world, Cornelia. It's a world of backstabbing and deceit."

Cornelia frowned at him. "Lelouch, must you continue with these insane conspiracy theories of yours? Can't you trust any of us at all?" She said.

"Sister, please, Lelouch has his reasons for keeping secrets. Please, just leave him alone about this," Euphemia begged, but Cornelia would not relent.

'Well, she isn't called the Witch of Britannia for nothing,' Lelouch thought, frowning as he recalled the battle where she had almost uncovered his identity, only for C.C. to show up at the last moment and divert her attention away from him, thus saving his life and his identity.

He had never expected Euphie, of all people, to figure out who he was, but she was pretty much the only person besides Nunnally he could trust in the Royal Family. No matter how nice Cornelia might be acting now, she would show no mercy to him if she learned he was Zero. He must never let her find out.

Then he could see himself in jail. Cornelia would be perfectly willing to sentence Zero to jail, and even if he was her younger brother, she would show no mercy. He was no fool. She only saw him as the "annoying sibling" with the conspiracy theory complex, and she would lose her affection for him the second that mask broke to reveal Zero underneath.

"I understand you want to defend your brother, Euphemia, but I cannot allow him to misbehave anymore."

"Cornelia, stop treating me like a child," Lelouch argued back, growing entirely frustrated with where this conversation was headed, and wishing he could strangle her at this moment.

"Lelouch, do you really not trust me at all? I will not allow you to go anywhere without your knight by your side." She beckoned to Jeremiah, but frowned at him for a moment.

"Yes, my lady," His gaze went to rest on Lelouch for a while, "My lord, can you please not run off on us like that again? We were all so worried."

"Gottwald, your concern is unfounded. I can handle myself," Lelouch said, growing very frustrated with where this was going.

"My lord, I have failed to protect you! I must fulfill my duties!" Jeremiah said, falling on his knees again.

"Don't grovel. I don't need my own knight to act like that." Lelouch scolded.

"Lelouch, must you continue to act like a civilian? It's uncouth," Cornelia scolded, again acting like the mother hen.

"Cornelia...I have raised myself over the past seven years. There's no problem with that."

"Yes, there is. You raised yourself and you have no manners like a proper noble should. I am going to make sure you learn discipline," Cornelia scolded, despite Lelouch's look of absolute disgust.

"She's even more worried about you than before," Euphemia said.

"I can see that," Lelouch said. 'Damn it, I have more important things to do than spend time listening to Cornelia lecture me! I have the Black Knights to command right now!'

"Lelouch, listen to me. You can't go around being so reckless anymore. From now on, Gottwald will accompany you everywhere you go to make sure you're doing what you're supposed to do. I won't have you rebelling anymore. You're seventeen years old now, not seven, Lelouch. Act your age."

Lelouch stared at her in complete disbelief. "Cornelia, you don't understand. I can't be here all the time, I'm actually helping out the Zone and the Black Knights."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Euphie gasped, wondering why on earth he had been careless enough to say that out loud where Cornelia could hear.

Cornelia stared at him with wide eyes. "Lelouch, that's a terrible joke. You'd better not be helping out terrorists. That's treason! You wouldn't do something that stupid, would you?"

She looked at him for a few moments and noticed his expression. He looked as though he was about to reveal something big...some sort of big secret. That he never wanted to tell anyone.

"Lelouch...tell me what you're hiding."

Lelouch looked away from her. "Would you hate me for it, Cornelia? You said you couldn't forgive treason of any kind."

"Lelouch, don't." Euphie warned.

"Of course, but you're my family. If the Emperor knew of your association with the Black Knights, he'd exile you again."

"...He won't. He blackmailed me into staying here. The reason he did so is because he knows what else I've been doing this whole time."

"Doing...what? Lelouch, you've got to be kidding," Cornelia said.

* * *

'I know I'm going to regret this in the long run, but I've got no choice,' Lelouch said to himself and swallowed. He paused..."...Cornelia, to tell the truth, the part about me being imprisoned by Zero is a lie...the truth is, I am Zero, Cornelia."

He waited for her to say something, anything at all, but she looked shocked for a few minutes.

Then she hit him.

"How could you...be so foolish, Lelouch? All this time...I wanted to destroy Zero, and you were him the entire time, risking your own life against your own siblings. You could have come to us from the beginning, you know. Why didn't you come back, Lelouch? You wouldn't have done all of those terrible things like killing your own brother."

Lelouch glared at him. "Cornelia, Clovis was massacring innocent Japanese. I had to do something."

Cornelia just stared at him. Jeremiah looked shocked, too.

"That means you discredited me, My lord? Why would you do such a thing?"

Lelouch cursed his foolishness. Had he made a fatal mistake?


End file.
